A Teeny, Tiny Disaster
by CreativeMultitasker
Summary: Sequel to 'The League of Villains'. Co-written with andromeda123. Summer is just around the bend, and our favourite heroes set off on a tropical vacation, which they assume would be the best one of their lives. Until, things steer off course...
1. Commence Operation Vacation!

**Well here's the sequel! I co-wrote this with andromeda123 so give her some credit too people! Anyway… Enjoy!**

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Chapter 1

Soft tinctures of brassy apricot, and carmine cast a fiery gleam over Manhattan as the sun drifted high into the maroon dappled sky, lavishing gentle rays of warm sunlight over the flurrying city streets, and magnificent skyscrapers. Over the string quartet of car honks, and the sounds of men and women greeting one another on the street, pigeons cooed at each other and pecked at the sidewalk, hoping that the grey pebbles may be breadcrumbs or whatever the people decided to give them that morning.

In the zoo, a deep blue and white colored mariposa fluttered through the gates, and landed softly on the apex of the large stone cave in the otter habitat, where Marlene and her team conversed quietly inside.

"So, Angelique? How are things between you and Kowalski?" giggled Marlene, plopping herself on top of a large plastic bag of popcorn. The other girls nodded their heads in agreement as they flicked they're eyes over to the blushing female penguin.

Angelique sighed, placing a flipper over her cheek that had a slight crimson tinge underneath her feathers and leaned against it. 'This is getting a little old' she thought to herself.

"I told you girls, I've sort of given up on him. I doubt he even feels the same way. He's avoiding me. Using missions as an excuse," she sighed and stared at her feet, her murmur low and etched in disappointment.

There was a slight tension in the air around them as Marlene squirmed in her seat, regretting that she ever brought up the topic. Stacy shook her head, "This is perfectly normal. He's just doing that cause he's shy. Give him time." Angelique quietly prayed it was true, and smiled at the ginger badger.

"Y'know, speaking of missions... Don't you think that they're starting to get... oh... I don't know... tedious?" Mentioned Sienna, trying swerve from the previous topic. The wildcat was beginning to grow bored about conversations regarding men.

"Now that you mention it... yeah. They are." replied the blonde badger after a moment of thought, "It's seriously getting on my nerves."

"With all the traveling-" (Marlene)  
"and jet lag-" (Iris)  
"Not to mention the tiring work." (Angelique)

"It's a real killer on my beauty sleep." complained Becky, examining her face in Marlene's hand held mirror, "I mean really! How am I supposed to keep my eyes sparkling if I have to undertake these stupid assignments!"

"Geez, sis. Calm down. It's not the end of the world." lectured Stacy, patting her sister on the back as she rolled her midnight blue eyes, "But still. You do have a point. It's really stressing."

Another interval of silence hung in the air, when all of a sudden, Sienna's ears perked up, "Hey. I just had an idea! If we're really this tired, why don't we go on vacation? Y'know, to get away from it all for while." she suggested through a stifled smirk.

"That sounds great!" exclaimed Marlene, jumping off her seat and raising her arms in the air. Instantaneously, her face darkened and she slowly sank back onto her popcorn sack.

The females around her frowned, "What is it, Marley?" asked Iris, cocking her head to the side.

"Nothing. It's just that- Will Skipper let us?" The girls realized she was right. When it came to decisions like that, it wasn't theirs. It was Skipper's. They were important to the zoo's committee and had their rights, but Skipper was still the boss.

"Well if I'm calculating correctly, chances of Skipper ever letting us leave the zoo for a holiday would be..." Angelique's voice drifted as she ran the numbers through her head.

" 24.8%." she concluded miserably. The members of Team Double X collectively groaned.

"That's a low number." commented Sienna, folding her arms as a distempered scowl crossed her face.

Iris glanced at her disappointed teammates and drew in a long breath. "I say we should try," she suggested, hoping that Marlene would come to her defense. "It couldn't hurt."

The chestnut colored otter idly stared at the ground, then slowly agreed with the raven, "If we ever needed to relax, now's the perfect time. It's summer!" Her teammates smiled. "C'mon!" Marlene called over her shoulder as she stood and sauntered out of the cave. With excitement in their steps, they rushed over to the penguins' habitat.

The females jumped on top of the faded brick wall surrounding the habitat and watched the flat-headed penguin along with his team, doing their daily training on top of the man made ice floe, which was just a stained slab of concrete.

Marlene smiled at Skipper who was busy at work, stretching his knotted muscles and throwing kicks into the wind. Skipper glanced over at the otter, stifling a grin; instead, he contorted his expression into a contrived scowl. "Stand down, gentlemen!" He ordered his teammates, who were sub-consciously continuing their daily routine. They all stopped and faced the girl fighting force, all except Kowalski who tried hard to look busy in front of Angelique, rubbing his flipper awkwardly and tapping his foot.

The leader placed his flippers on his waist and frowned, "Marlene! What've I told you about barging in on us during training hours?" he lectured, furrowing a heavy brow.

" 'Ello Marlene!" greeted Private cheerfully as he waved artlessly at the brown eyed Asian otter. She smiled and waved back at him before turning back to the avian in front of her.

"Funny. I've never heard you knock before." quipped Marlene, rather pleased with herself for coming up with such a clever remark.

Skipper seemed a bit taken back, but quickly waved it off, "Whatever. Anyway... what is it?"

Marlene smiled as she clamped her paws together, "Well... me and my team were thinking... It's been a long while since we've ever had a chance to put our feet up... So... maybe we could... Go on a vacation or something." replied the otter, now rubbing the back of her neck.

Before the captain could answer, the young cadet butted in, "Oh! What a smashing idea! We could certainly use the relaxation!" he stated happily, clapping his flippers in a childish manner.

A grin curled at the side of the strategist's beak, "I concur" he said as he placed his flippers behind his back, "Research shows that relaxation stands quite generally for a release of tension, and a return to equilibrium." his eyes flicked over to Angelique's, then, stared at the ground.

"Kowalski, put a quarter in the show off jar." ordered Skipper glancing briefly behind his back at said penguin. Rico upchucked a jar half-full of quarters and shook it in front of the scientist's face. Kowalski growled as he took out a silver coin and tossed it into the glass container.

Skipper exhaled deeply, "Now... as for the vacation... sorry Marlene but no can do! We've got a training schedule to follow here, and I am not going to shuffle it off just so we can go frolicking in the land of hippies. You know how much I hate tranquility." he, leaning slightly towards Marlene till his beak was an inch away from her face. Once he realized how close he was getting, he quickly straightened up and took a step back. A warm blush crept under his feathers and stained his cheeks. "So there will be no holiday."

"Sir. I don't mean to butt in. Y'know since it's mostly Private's job-" began Alexander.

"Hey!" complained the chubby penguin, clenching his flippers into fists and hunching his shoulders.

The water monitor ignored him, "-but we all could use a vacation. I mean look at us; we're starting to get a little restless. It's tiring. If we all had a little break, it would sort of re-charge us. Get us back on our feet." He concluded. The combat medic also yearned for a well-deserved break. Even a buff guy like him had to relax.

The captain still didn't budge, so Marlene pulled out her last resort, and put on the cutest puppy face she could muster, and batted her eyelashes, "Plea-se Skipper?" she asked sweetly.

'Oh no...' thought Skipper as he stared into the otter's beautiful hazel eyes. His authoritative exterior was slowly collapsing, and his conscience was acting up.

Finally, he just couldn't take it anymore and gave in with a loud aggravated sigh, "Fine. I guess we could take a little time off." he muttered, unable to say no to that pretty little otter. However, he was still a little reluctant.

The members of Team Double X along with some of the boys, cheered and exchanged high fives as well as fist pumps. Skipper remained isolated from the group, still resistant to the whole "holiday" thing.

"Cheer up sir," sympathized Private as he placed a reassuring flipper on his leader's shoulder, "Look on the bright side... you won't have to deal with Julian for a couple of days." Just as those wonderful words left Private's mouth, Skipper's face brightened, and an wicked grin tugged at the side of his beak.

"No ringtail? Oooh... now there's something I like."

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**So it looks like the animals are going on holiday… what's going to happen next? Stay tuned! Before I go, I have something incredibly important to remind you to do:**

**REVIEW!**


	2. A Brilliant Start

**So sorry for the wait! I was blocked off the internet for a couple of days 'cause there was something wrong with the cable. Anyway, I hope this rather long chapter is enough to satisfy you.**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 2

"Ah... nothing like summer morning in the Big Apple..." Sighed Skipper, placing his precious chessboard into a small brow suitcase that was worn down, a milky white at the edges.

"So, we got everything Kowalski?" he asked his lieutenant, cocking a brow as he slammed the top of his suitcase shut. The strategist picked his head up from his clipboard and nodded. "Affirmative sir. Operation: Vacation is a go," he reported with a smile stretched across his beak.

The egghead rolled his pale blue eyes around the military grey walls and the yellow florescent light bulb suspended above his head, which was beginning to dim gradually. However lifeless the walls were, the HQ seemed to breathe with a brilliant vigor that could only be compared to a snowflake riddled Christmas morning, or a first day of spring after a long desolate winter.

Private cheered, throwing his flippers into the air as he hopped about excitedly. "Oh! I can't wait! This is incredible!" he cheered, "I can't believe we're going to-" the young cadet paused in mid sentence as his face slowly contorted into a puzzled expression. "Um... Kowalski, what was it called again?" asked the young cadet, cocking his head to the side with a bewildered look in his blue colored irises.

"Fernando de Noronha. An island up North off the coast of Brazil." replied the egg-headed scientist in between mumbling under his breath and scribbling furiously across his clipboard. He tapped the tip of his beak with the bottom of his #2 B as a pensive stare spread across the page held before him.

"Well... by multiplying the distance from the our current location to our destination by the average speed that our boat will travel, my calculations show that we should arrive at our desired location in approximately 8 hours and 19 minutes." replied Kowalski, lowering his clipboard away from his face. "Of course, that is if everything goes accordingly." Skipper shook his head and turned towards the tall avian, who's gaze was fixed back down in his clipboard.

"Everything will go accordingly!" He declared casting a confident glare around the room.

A small interval of silence lingered through the air as the penguins continued to pack their bags. Kowalski tossed a few essentials in his suitcase and finished with his luggage. He was just about to start writing out the schedule when a wonderful little thought popped into his head.

"Hey. Where's Angelique?" asked the intellectual avian, scanning the room for his fellow science expert. He put down his writing implements, and waddled around the room. Peeking around every corner and room he could find.

Private spoke up, "Oh. She left early to join the other girls and Alexander at the dock." he said, seating himself on top of his luggage. Which was no problem, since it was practically the size of a beanbag, obviously over-packed. Skipper sighed in an annoyance at the sight of the youth's over-stuffed sack, "Private. What in the name of Gandhi's nun chucks did you put in that pouch of yours?" he asked, frowning at his youngest student. "Oh... Just a few things is all, sir..."

Everybody groaned and rolled their eyes.

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Meanwhile at the docks 5 blocks away from Central park, stood a group of females and an impatient water monitor. They were waiting for their friends to arrive, beside their large water vessel, exchanging small talk and staring out into the sea.

"Angelique. When are they going to arrive?" asked Sienna, crossing her arms in front of her chest and frowning slightly.

Angelique sighed, "They'll be here. Don't worry." She replied, staring into the distance, trying to catch some sort of sign that her penguin comrades were arriving soon.

"I'm not worrying. I'm bored." she whined and stroked the fur on her cheeks as she puffed a strand of fur out of her eyes.

"You think you're the only one?" snapped Alexander in a sarcastic tone, from behind the all-girl fighting force. He was lying on his stomach, with his body slouched over his black duffel bag, "You've gotta learn that someday."

The wild cat growled under her breath, unsheathing her claws as she did so. Iris could sense an unsettling vibe slowly rising between the two and quickly made an effort to end it. "Shut up, Alexander." she spat, glaring daggers at the reptile. The combat medic scowled back at the ebony colored bird, "I would love to see you try." he retorted icily, daring her with a competitive gleam in his eyes. Marlene rolled hers, "Knock it off you two. Honestly, I feel like I'm standing in a playground full of 6 year olds." she scolded, placing her paws on her hips. Just at that moment, Skipper and the penguins slid up.

"Sorry about the wait. Private here had exceeded the permitted amount of cargo." apologized the leader, flashing a scowl in the Private's direction. The youngest of the group threw an exasperated glance back at his commander, "But Skipper! Lunacorn merchandise is one of the most essential things to bring on a holiday!" he retorted, jerking his flippers to his sides in a rather large, overly exaggerated motion.

The flat-headed penguin held up a flipper in front of the cadet's face, "Save it soldier. That hippy propaganda is forbidden in this unit while on vacation. Gives it an open door to damage your soft little mind," he lectured as he patted the youth gently on the head. Then he put his wings behind his back and sauntered down the dock. "Now that that's out of the way... let's get this show on the road."

Kowalski took out a remote and pressed a button, unlocking their boat and opening the entrance, "Hop on everyone." he declared, picking up his bag and hastily waddling after his leader. The others followed the tall penguin's actions and one by one, they walked up the ramp and onto the ship.

When all of the commandos were inside, Becky was one of the first to make a move. She scampered towards the female scientist. "Hey, Angelique. Could you beam my bag into that hyper cube thingy of yours?" she asked, holding up her brown leather baggage.

"Sorry, Becky. I left it back at HQ. This trip is going to be a totally "Gadget and Mission Free" vacation." replied Angelique, setting down her bag beside her seat." "Also, another question. How did you get the boat from the zoo to here?" said Stacy, who had suddenly popped out of nowhere.

The violet-eyed penguin smirked, "You're forgetting. I have a transportation ray gun." She replied smugly, glancing over her shoulder at the badger. Their conversation was cut short by a certain egg-headed avian, "Prepare to sail everyone!" he instructed from up front, where he and Skipper were seating themselves down in the captain and co-captain chairs. The animals obeyed, settling down in their respected seats and buckling themselves in. Just as everyone had clicked their seat belts in place, the boat lurched forward as the anchor detached itself from the ocean floor, allowing it to give in to the pull of the waves.

The engine roared to life as the vessel sliced through the deep water lapping up the sides like a pacific blue flame. As the boat traveled, an occasional gust of cool summer wind would blow past it, ruffling the feathers on Angelique's and Iris' slim bodies. Eventually, when the ride had started to become less choppy, the animals hopped out of their seats and roamed the small ship. Taking a generous eyeful of the endless blue body of water that looked like a layer of paint spread across a canvas.

" *Sigh*, nothing like clear skies and calm seas, eh Kowalski?" Skipper asked through a smile, casting a pleased expression towards his second-in-command, as he took hold of the large wheel and steered the boat from the shoreline.

"I agree, the conditions are quite ideal for sailing," Kowalski noted. The intellectual took one more glance at the ocean and drew in the wispy, salty breeze into his lungs. Then he reached into a pocket on the side of the seat and pulled out a colorful, intricate map, gingerly folding it open.

"Private, Rico, take care of the luggage!" Skipper barked. "Yes sir!" Private responded, as he unbuckled his seatbelt and swiftly went to work.

Aside from the squall of an ivory white gull or the ever-present slapping of water, Kowalski could hear Private groan as he dragged something heavy across the polished metal floorboards. He disregarded the noise and focused back on the work in front of him.

His sapphire eyes scanned the picture of the island, its longitude and latitude lines overlapping the brown islet. He opened his beak to give Skipper the co-ordinates, until Skipper once again started talking. "Having trouble with the luggage Private?" Skipper called over his shoulder, a hint of frustration cocktailed with concern etched in his voice. "Yeah, this one's just really heavy!" Private laughed, a breathless, absurd little laugh and began to drag the luggage once more. Skipper rolled his eyes and turned back towards the balmy ocean.

"Alright Kowalski, I need coordinates!"

Kowalski nodded, and frantically ran the numbers through his head. " Well, I believe that would be-" "41 degrees north," Angelique interrupted, her beautiful florid eyes capturing the glistening water and the faded horizon. "Why, yes. That it is." Kowalski said, surprised as he threw an astonished glance her way and smiled at her. Angelique smiled politely back in response to the genius avian's friendly gesture.

"Private, hurry up with that luggage already!" Skipper cried impatiently, a scowl crossing his face. Private tugged at the chestnut brown wooden handles and willed his muscles to pull harder. "I'm trying, but it wont move!" he yelled through a strained voice and gritted beak.

Skipper sighed, then snapped his gaze over to his lieutenant. "Take the wheel," He groaned dully, shifting away from the wheel and briskly sauntering over to the little penguin.

He threw the luggage over his shoulder and gasped under his breath as the wind was knocked slightly out of him. "Your right, this is a little heavy," He replied apologetically, stumbling over to the open compartment where a pile of bags was stacked. He tossed it roughly in and grasped the door to close it.

Suddenly, much to his and the team's shock, the bag shifted slightly.

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**Oooh! Cliffhanger! Sort of… anyway… REVIEW!**


	3. The Stowaway

**Sorry if I kept you waiting! Anyway, this time 90% of the credit should go to andromeda123, who wrote pretty much the whole chapter. *sigh*, what am I doing blabbering like this? On with the story!**

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Chapter 3

"Rico, crowbar me!" Skipper barked over his shoulder, towards his weapons and demolitions expert. The maniac penguin obeyed, and vomited the requested item into his awaiting leader's open flipper.

Skipper cocked the metal rod back, but before he could take a swing, he was swiftly stopped by a cinnamon-colored otter whose delicate fingers grasped the weapon; she glared at the commanding officer and jerked the crowbar out of his grasp. With one end of the grey-coloured bar, she undid the zipper, keeping a good distance away from the strange moving suitcase. A crowd was beginning to gather around them, a musky apprehension draped in the air, mixing itself with sea salt and cadmium sunlight as ash colored puffs of clouds began to swirl above them.

"Be careful Marlene," Skipper warned with paranoia swimming in his scarlet blood, "Last time I saw a suitcase move like that, Manfredi and Johnson took a one way trip to the bottom of the big briny deep with nothing more than a

"Skipper, look," Marlene interjected as she flipped the suitcase open.

She handed the crowbar to him without taking her eyes off of the luggage, and pointed a finger in the direction of a bushy, dusty tail, with ebony rings wrapped around it, draped gingerly around a sleeping lemur's nose, a leafy crown lay beside him.

"J-Julien?" Marlene stammered in breathless bewilderment, as she ambled tentatively over to the sleeping king and bent down. A flash of pure rage glinted in the flat-headed penguin's eyes beside her as he was suddenly grasped by cold scaly fingers, and was forced into a full nelson hold.

"Don't even think about it chief," Alexander warned, running his brown irises over Skipper's sapphire ones, "If anyone's gonna give it to that lemur, it's me." a smile of mirth and baneful contrivance spread across the captain's charming face, as he dropped the crowbar onto the cold metal covered floor. A loud clang permeated the air, and violently jolted the sleeping lemur awake.

"Nap time's over Julian!" Skipper barked, shrugging the reptile's hands of him, and whipping around to face Private, "Get a lifeboat ready, it's too late to go back and drop him off." he commanded in an authoritative, brittle tone.

Julian yawned obnoxiously, then stretched his slender muscles out and flickered his amber eyes over to the tense bird. "Who are we dropping off?" Julian asked innocently as he placed the crown on back his head, and threw a seductive glance over at Marlene. "Why, hello there pretty lady." Julian purred as he reached out to touch her cheek with the side of his hand. Marlene slapped his fingers away as she growled and walked over to Angelique, whose intelligent violet eyes were narrowed and set ablaze.

Skipper's fury seemed to intensify as he cocked his jaw, and threw a death glare at the pompous lemur king. "What do you think you're doing on this vessel ring tail? You're unauthorized personnel and this is considered a serious offence! How did you even get here?"

Julian stifled a grin and got to his feet, sauntering close to the infuriated avian and eyeing the boat carefully.

"Hmm… Okay, okay, not bad. The help here is a little slow though if you ask me," Julian muttered low into Skipper's earhole, completely disregarding the question as he pointed towards the charcoal colored raven and the snarling badgers. "and they're a bit on the lazy side if you know what I mean."

Skipper sighed, then threw the self-proclaimed ringtail over his shoulder and stomped over to the lifeboat. Curly white paint was chipping off of the sides and a greenish grey mold could be seen creeping along the bottom. It hung suspended over the abysmal, swirling water and swayed as each wave lapped at the sides of the ship.

"What are you to be doing!" Julian screamed as he flailed his arms and legs pathetically, completely at the mercy of the furious commando. Skipper tossed Julian inside, who clung to the swinging boat, then turned his head towards the mohawk wielding penguin standing a few feet away from him along with the group.

"Rico, lashing wires!" Skipper barked. Rico responded with a malevolent chortle of laughter, then upchucked a chainsaw and sliced the thin ropes that safely held the boat in the air. Julian screamed as he and the lifeboat descended towards the waters below. "Skipper, what's wrong with you!" Marlene scolded as she sprinted to the edge of the boat and hung over the side, watching the lemur king splash into shark infested waters and crawl onto the gently rocking, little vessel. Her eyes followed him as he drifted off into another current; slowly heading towards the cloud spotted horizon that made him look as if he was growing small and smaller by the moment.

"He'll be fine Marlene, don't worry." Skipper sympathized, his known-all-too-well smug grin stretched across his beak. Marlene growled at him as the hair on her neck bristled.

The commander sighed in aggravation, giving in to the otter's objection, "Fine. Kowalski, what are we looking at here." Skipper asked, turning to face the intellectual steering the boat.

The avian scientist took out a telescope and peered through its lens, "There's a large risk that he may not make it back to Manhattan. In fact, that possibility I'd say is roughly 89%, if you factor in the storm that will swiftly be upon us if we don't keep moving." Kowalski replied back as a large white gull screeched into the salty breeze.

"That's a statistic I can live with," Skipper scoffed as he smugly cocked a grin and placed his flippers behind his back. Marlene flashed a disgusted glare at the avian, then turned towards Angelique. "Angelique, give me options!" The chestnut colored otter ordered, with an authoritative strength in her usually soft, gentle voice. "Iris can fly down and toss him a rope, as the rest of us pull him up. However, that would be too risky if we don't slow down."

"Kowalski, don't you dare slow this boat down!" Skipper growled as he glared at the egghead steering the vessel.

Kowalski frowned, "Skipper, as much as I want to listen to you, Marlene is right. We can't just leave him because he's...um, bothersome."

"Mutiny..." Skipper huffed low under his breath, crossing his flippers and glaring at the ground. "Fine...we'll rescue the lemur." Skipper finally replied, "Rico, they're gonna need some rope. Kowalski, I'm taking the wheel."

"Aye sir!" Kowalski exclaimed, handing the wheel over to his furious leader and striding over towards the crowd of animals.

Marlene smiled as Rico spewed the equipment, then handed it over to the glossy black raven. Iris grasped one end of the rope with her talon-tipped feet and descended towards the screaming lemur, her streamline body slicing through the wind. From a distance, the animals watched her drop the rope, then stretch her beautiful black wings, that rippled with sunlight, and glide towards the ship. "Alright ladies, grab an end and pull!" Marlene called as she clutched the rope, her muscles elongating under her sleek brown fur as she tugged hard. Both teams followed suit, pulling with all the power they could muster until Julian drifted closer and closer. After a few long, strenuous minutes rolled by, Julian's soaked and shivering body was pulled onto the glistening metal deck.

He rolled onto his stomach and heaved seawater in between breathless gasps. "Not...cool man!" He wheezed, wrapping his skinny arms around himself, shuddering violently as the cold started to seep through his water-matted fur. Alexander rushed beside him and checked his vitals, throwing a slight glare at the commanding officer. "He's fine! But now thanks to you, we've lost a lifeboat, and we're way behind schedule!"

Skipper growled, furrowing his non-existent brow, he was about to argue with the combat medic, but was cut off as sudden purr of thunder rolled overhead, hushing the two teams as the wind picked up. The flat-headed leader's brow rose as his pacific blue eyes widened in worry at the sight, as did his comrades. He hastily waddled to the front of the ship, shoved his second-in-command out of the way, and grabbed hold of the wheel. He quickly thrust the throttle beside him forward, accelerating the vessel into the wild storm that lay ahead of him.

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**Remember! Reviews make two co-writing authors very happy! So… REVIEW!**


	4. Storm's a Coming!

**Well here's chapter 4. The big storm… Enjoy!**

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Chapter 4

Earlier that morning, the sun was a luminous mandarin red that blazed bright in the cloud-speckled sky. Now, It was shrouded by angry storm clouds, and the crystalline blue sky was now an ashen swirling torrent. Slow fat raindrops had begun to fall, steadily increasing in size and speed, until they began to pour in glistening violent sheets.

Hungry ebony waves lapped along the sides of the boat, tossing the animals on board like puffy white popcorn in a microwave. Swirling, foamy waves crashed on the glossy metal deck, making it almost impossible to stand upon.

Team Double X, as well as Alexander, screamed as they're bodies were flung carelessly by the gale winds, making them slam against the side of the boat. Marlene grunted as she heaved herself off of the ground, and leaned against the stern. The rain tugged at her chocolate fur and plastered it close to her shivering body, while the storm continued to rumble wildly ahead.

Meanwhile, in the centre of the boat, Skipper clung desperately onto the wheel, growling at the wind as it tried to pry him from the steering mechanism, his muscles rippling as water rolled off his glossy feathers. His eyes were narrowed into slits, as he tried to see through the shower of water droplets that blurred his vision. The leader raised an unsteady flipper to rub the infernal rainwater out, but as he did, the small vessel suddenly jerked to the right, and his body was thrown across the deck, smashing him into the anchor that was once resting against the once neat pile of coiled rope.

Skipper groaned, as excruciating pain entered his bloodstream, flowing at a rapid pace. He placed a shuddering flipper on his head, but quickly jerked it away and yelped, feeling the recognizable sensation of a stinging blue bruise forming. He forced the throbbing of his newly formed bruise to the back of his mind and dragged his broken body along the slippery deck towards the wheel.

Meanwhile, being the fool he was, Julien thought that the storm wasn't a big deal, and jumped in front of the steering mechanism. "C'mon silly penguin you have to be trying this!" He called over the howling storm. The muscles in Skippers neck bulged as frustration crept under his damp feathers.

Julien threw his head back and laughed gleefully as he clutched the wheel, ignoring the furious shrieks, brimmed with panic, coming from the animal commandos behind him. The ringtail spun it to the right, lurching the boat in that direction, and flinging the poor animals to the side.

The commandos were in no position, literally, to stop the deranged lemur king, and were helplessly hurled to starboard, once again smashing into the boundaries of the boat.

Alexander hauled himself to his feet, his body weight rested on the boat flank, "Julien! You imbecile! You're throwing us off course! More importantly, us!" he yelled, over the howling shrieks of the rain and wind. Angelique crawled up beside the water monitor, "You'll kill us!" she shrieked, cupping her flippers around her beak to project her voice through the loud pounding of the heavy raindrops as they slammed against their vessel. The others quickly joined,

"Stop, Julien!" (Becky and Stacy)  
"You idiot!" (Sienna)  
"You're condemning us to death!" (Iris)  
"Give Skipper the wheel!" (Private)  
"Eh! Learn 'ow to drive buddy!" (Rico; I got this from 'Operation: Good Deed')

Julien smirked as he disregarded the poor, anguished cries of the teams, "I am the king! And the king, which is me, can do whatever he pleases!" he called back.

Kowalski growled in annoyance at the lemur's foolishness, and with an incoherent cry, he rushed towards the centre of the boat. Slipping uncontrollably as he did so, but eventually he managed to reach his destination.

The scientist grabbed hold of the maniac and shoved him away from the wheel, "Julien! You're steering us way off course!" he scolded, glaring daggers at the self-proclaimed king.

Julien gasped in shock placing a paw on his chest and heaving his shoulders in exaggeration, "How dare you speak to the king that way! I was doing fine till you came and mess-ied it all up!" he shot back, gesturing towards the steering mechanism that he was he was in front, as recently as a few seconds ago.

The lieutenant had just about enough of Julien's stupidity and let go of the wheel, throwing himself at the grey lemur. Julien screamed in fright as the strategist landed in front of him and clutched his chest, raising him into the air slightly.

"Julien. Listen closely. We're on a boat. In a storm." Began Kowalski in a cold icy tone that could have sent chills down one's spine, "If we so much as make one tiny mistake, our lives would be ripped apart from our very bodies, and our souls would be sent howling into that big kitchen drawer in the sky!" he said, his voice slowly increasing into a yell, then fading into a low whimper. The so-called king raised a brow at the bird that lay in a fetal position before him, "So. Let me bottom line this- because of me. We're doomed?" he asked in a clearly guiltless tone.

"YES!" shouted all the commandos behind Kowalski, clearly peeved at the fact that it took this long to get the ring tail to perceive the circumstances of the situation, and how drastic it was getting.

The animals were hushed as a loud thunderclap boomed in the clouds, followed by several bolts of lightning zapping the swirling ocean that surrounded them. Kowalski gave a terrified shriek that sounded like it belonged to a little schoolgirl, and clutched the sides of the wheel. Attempting to steer himself as well as his friends away from the fiery crackles of lightning that struck the path ahead of them.

Suddenly a single bolt of electricity struck the ship, inches away from Kowalski, scorching the metal floorboards hammered into the deck. The scientist yelped in fright, as another burst of electricity zapped the side of the boat.

"Guys! I think we may have another situation here!" yelled Stacy, leaning over the railing and pointing a trembling finger towards the side of the ship. Kowalski let go of the steering wheel and hastily stumbled towards the auburn badger, as did the others.

They all simultaneously peered over the edge and gasped, a hole had been made on the side of the boat when the lightning struck, and the brackish water had already found its way into the aperture.

"The boat's gonna sink!" exclaimed Iris, "What're we gonna do? Marlene, orders?" there was no reply, "Marlene? Marlene?"

Sienna's ears twitched as she sniffed the air for her leader's scent, all of a sudden, the previously mentioned otter's scent wafted into her nose, "Marlene!" she screamed, catching the last glimpse of the female captain climbing down the side of the boat towards the hole. The females followed the wild cat's gaze, and through the wild rain and darkness, found the sea mammal hammering boards over the rupture.

"Marlene! What're you doing down there? Get back up here!" screamed Becky, her shrill voice piercing through the wailing wind.

The cinnamon coloured otter ignored her friends' cries and continued with her work. Her claws were pierced through the wooden sheeting as she pounded the first board into place. She was about to move on to the next until she lost her grip and fell into the squally, grey waters below, her terrified scream ringing through the ears of her fellow teammates.

"Marlene!" cried Skipper, anguish and grief brimming in his voice. Suddenly by impulse, he lept into the tempestuous sea after the otter.

"Iris! Don't just stand there! Go in there after them!" yelled Angelique angrily to the raven beside her. The ebony bird raised her wings, "I can't! My wings are soaked! I can't fly!" she shot back, clearly vexed by the fact that Angelique thought she had no intentions of saving their doomed friends, "I would if I could, but I can't!"

"Then we'll just have to settle with this!" shouted Alexander, grabbing the coil of rope they used to save Julien, "Everyone grab hold, and be prepared to pull!"

Meanwhile, beneath the wild raging waves, a certain flat-headed penguin was swimming towards the unconscious body of a particular otter. His sleek body gliding smoothly through the dark waters of the raging ocean. He wrapped a flipper around her waist as he used the other to paddle towards the boat above.

Eventually, his head broke through the surface. The commanding officer gasped for air as he desperately tried to keep both him and Marlene afloat, "Hey! Over here!" he yelled breathlessly into the wind. _Their never gonna hear me in a storm like this… _he thought despairingly, frantically waving his flipper in the air, hoping to get his teammates attention through wild tempest.

Luckily, Sienna heard his distressed cries, courtesy of her highly developed sense of hearing, "Guys! Over there!" she exclaimed, pointing towards the two small figures swimming alongside the vessel.

"Pull, people! Pull!" ordered Alexander, tightening his grip on the rope and tugging forcefully on it. The others followed his actions grunting as they pulled their two friends out of the blackened ocean waters.

Unfortunately, a sudden jolt threw the animals back, making them accidentally let go of the rope, including their friends. Skipper yelled as he fell back towards the raging waters, the hawser still in his grasp. As the thick rope's end neared the edge of the railing while the rest slid quickly through, it somehow managed to get caught on the steering wheel, jolting the falling leader to an abrupt stop in mid air. The captain, who was now hovering in mid air alongside the boat, sighed a breath of relief. Though he realized it wasn't his team, he was just glad that he didn't fall back into the ocean. He was completely exhausted.

Meanwhile on the ship, as the others groggily tried to recover, they failed to notice a huge tidal wave rapidly closing in on them. The animals' screams of alarm were muffled as the huge current of water splashed upon their small boat, taking Skipper and the still out cold Marlene along with them.

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**Uh oh… things are starting to look bleak for Skipper and the gang… wonder what's going to happen next? Well, stay tuned to find out more. And until the next chapter comes… REVIEW!**


	5. Stranded

**Here's chapter 5! Sorry if it took so long! Andromeda123 and I wanted this to be perfect! Now on with the story!**

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Chapter 5

Hungry, watery flame like tongues lapped at Kowalski's feet as he lay motionless on his back, a large piece of wood cushioning him with his feathers, a fluffy black halo.

A pool of filthy seawater puddled in his stomach, tendrils of seaweed draping his torso like the glittering green hair of a mermaid. A round, plump fish floated by, chasing a school of shimmering silver ones, followed by a stream of shiny bubbles.

It opened its wide mouth, lined with pale white scars from the hooks of fishermen that had long rusted out, and drew in the unlucky few. Others leapt from the waters' glassy surface, bleeding water from their streamline bodies and flicking water onto Kowalski. He woke with a start, sputtering and clawing for air as his body jerked up.

The strange black and white bird that was floundering on the surface ahead grasped the large fish's attention. Kowalski's blue eyes were dilated fearfully as he rolled on his stomach, vomiting the seawater that churned inside, an acidic stew of sea salt and apprehension.

His body trembled violently as the last of the water dripped from his beak, his breathing quick and shallow. Dizziness overcame him, causing him to shut his eyes tight and clamored for logic, amidst his dreadful confusion. He felt the yellow rays of the sun beat on his glossy black feathers as he flicked his smoldering blue eyes open.

"Gah!" He gasped as he jerked back from the swirling blue water, the large fish staring at him through hungry, curious eyes. He rubbed his head in bewilderment at the bold creature that quickly turned and disappeared into the abyss. He shook off his befuddlement, and scanned the boundless horizon that stretched before him. He rolled his eyes next to him, a jolt of fear and dread running down his back. For there lay the lifeless body of Angelique, sprawled on her back, her features angelic and relaxed, sickeningly cadaverous. He traced his eyes to her chest, which was softly rising and falling, evoking a silent sigh of relief. However the relief was only slight, for he knew that she could have sustained serious injury, fatal if he didn't act quickly.

"Angelique?" He asked, crawling over to her, their wooden raft bobbing with the current. He looked over her body for any obvious injuries, finding none besides a pink scratch barely shrouded behind her damp feathers. Clumpy burgundy blood had already clotted at the source of injury, indicating that there was no cause for alarm.

"Angelique!" He called again, desperation ringing clearly within his voice as he shook her gently.

"Mhmmm..." She groaned, pleating her brow and shaking her head slightly. Kowalski felt the weight from his chest lift as she uttered that little moan. "Oh thank goodness..." He laughed breathlessly, tension ebbing away from his rolling sore muscles. "Kowalski...?" She breathed, her eyelids tight over her violet irises. "Yes, it's Kowalski. Are you hurt? Are you ok?" The scientist's voice was wavering and forlorn. "W...where are we? The water feels...nice..." She smiled and shifted her weight carelessly. Kowalski grasped her soft ebony wing in his own coarse, trembling flipper and rubbed it gently. "Perhaps she had a concussion." He wondered dreadfully, tenderly stroking her limp flipper as he watched her sleep soundly, despite the horror of the situation at hand .

A minority part of him was glad though, that the female scientist had managed to fall asleep, and didn't have to worry like he was. Persistent, horrible fantasies about dying out here coursed through his brain, and he prayed that she would stay as ignorant as possible to it. He noticed that besides the swish of water, there was no sound. No wails from ivory gulls overhead. No helicopter blades slicing the air, with their engines purring and droning soothingly.

Nothing.

The loud silence that ensued was excruciating.

"Angelique? Stay with me please," he begged, a plausible fear that she may not wake up lurking in his rational mind. He listened to the drumming of green seawater along the jagged wood slab and the silent swish of air through the clouds above as the minutes turned to hours. The lack of sea gulls or ships dotted in the horizon frightened shook his soul, as it chilled his bone marrow. The strategist could feel the blood within his veins slowly turning into a misty fog of liquid nitrogen.

"I sure hope the others are alright…" he muttered dreadfully beneath his breath, staring wistfully into the wide open sea that lay ahead of him and the unconscious female.

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Pain coursed through Alexander's body as he slowly regained consciousness. He rolled onto his back while the waves lapped gently against the shore. His burly chest was rising and falling in a steady rhythm, his breaths low and hoarse. He dragged his wet, soar and tired body off of the ground as he placed a scaly hand onto his throbbing head. The reptile let out a pained groan as the side of his cranium cap pounded mercilessly against his skull. He summoned the strength to open his eyes, and lugged his tired body off of the ground. All he could see was sea, and more sea. Nothing but sea. The combat medic sighed as stared blankly at his drenched duffel bag laying several feet away from his feet. He turned away from it and started towards his right, walking along the coastline. He had to find the others.

Meanwhile, isolated several miles from him was Iris, who was currently struggling to heave her body off the soft bay front.

Wet sand rolled sluggishly off her wings in pulpy, soggy lumps as she grappled with the slushy earth beneath her sleek, ebony body. The raven scrambled away from the pulpy area, towards the protection of the dry, coastline rocks that were a safe distance away from the gentle, swishing waves. Iris winced as she felt the muscles underneath her charcoal feathers burn up, and prickling pain shoot through her nerves. _It's sprained… _she thought despairingly, struggling to push the unbearable twinge to the back of her mind. When the ebony bird finally made it to her destination, she leaned against the rocks and gingerly cradled her injured wing.

"Iris! Alexander! Julien! Where are you?"

Iris' head jerked up suddenly at the sound of the shrill, desolate cry ringing through the air. A relieved grin tugged at the side of her as she recognized the voice to be none other than Stacy's.

"Stacy! I'm over here!" called Iris, waving her good wing frantically in the air as she hastily shuffled away from the rocks, allowing the auburn badger to locate her a little more easily. Stacy's ears pricked at the familiar voice and scanned the beach, her gaze landing on the ebony bird up ahead. Her eyes sparkled with reassurance as she caught sight of Iris standing beside the coastline rocks, and ran towards her friend. The two met in a keen hug, laughing in delight as they did so. Iris ignored the pain throbbing away in her sprained wing. She was just glad to see her friend alive.

" *Sigh*, I'm so glad to see you!" Stacy exclaimed breathlessly, a broad grin stretched across her muzzle, "I thought I'd never manage to find you in this place!"

Thankful tears welled up in Iris' eyes as she gazed happily at her friend, "Me too." She agreed, once again tucking her injured wing into her other one. This didn't go unnoticed by Stacy.

The dark coloured badger knitted her brow in concern at the sight of the damaged appendage, "What happened?" she asked fearfully, reaching out a paw and softly stroking the charcoal bird's swollen wing. Iris frowned as well, "It was lucky that I only sprained it. If anything more serious, I wouldn't be here now." She stated solemnly, raising her twisted and ruffled wing by an inch. An awkward silence hung in the air for a few moments, till it was broken by an incredibly infamous holler.

"Silly penguins! Badger ladies! Lizard guy! Where the hecks are you!"

The two females moaned in annoyance at the sound of the self-proclaimed king's pathetic shout. "Could we _please_ leave him? He deserves to die out here, for ruining our perfectly planned vacation as well as stranding us here on this island!" spoke Stacy in a hostile tone, showing absolutely no sympathy towards the trouble-making lemur. Iris shook her head in disagreement, "Sorry Stace. We can't. As much as he deserves it, we can't. If we abandoned him, we would be just as stuck up and self-centered as him." Reasoned the raven in a reluctant tone, clearly unwilling.

Stacy grumbled in resentment at the thought of saving the one responsible for the mess they were in, but grudgingly managed to mutter a husky 'ok'.

It was lucky for them that Julien was wandering aimlessly out in the open, making it practically a thousand times easier to find the deranged ringtail.

"There you are you sillies!" he exclaimed, pure annoyance ringing in his tone, "I was wondering where you left off to!"

The auburn badger held up a firm paw in front of Julien, silencing him. "Don't say anything and just follow!" The foolish mammal was about to protest when Iris added, "Should you choose to disobey her, I will personally set a special little play date for you and Alexander. I promise it won't last that long." A jeering tone could be heard within the depths of the raven's voice, but pure somberness highlighted its edges. Julien gulped as his ears flattened against his head, and nodded, fearful of the dark consequences.

The two female fighters smiled in triumph and continued down the sandy shores of the island. "We'd better find Alexander. He'll know what to do about that sprain of yours." comforted Stacy, gesturing at Iris' wing and giving her a friendly pat on the back. The ebony bird smiled at her friend's attempt to life her spirits and nodded as they progressed further and further down the beach in search of the missing water monitor.

In a matter of minutes, they found Alexander, tugging an empty turtle shell as he trudged along the coastline. "So. You guys found me? Matter of time too…" muttered the combat medic, roughly clonking the empty exoskeleton onto the sand and crossing his arms against his chest.

Stacy and Iris frowned in displeasure, at both the shell and the Alexander's sarcastic comment, but ignored it. "Could we please focus on our current situation here?" exclaimed Stacy impatiently, throwing her arms into the air as a irritable scowl stretched across her whiskered snout.

Alexander rolled his eyes, "Alright, alright." He replied, "But first things first, lets see that wing of yours Iris."

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**Sorry, to those of you who are Skilene fans, that Skipper and Marlene weren't in this chapter. But I promise in the next chapter they will be. It should be up by next week, but until then... REVIEW!**


	6. Revival

**Here's the next chapter! Unfortunately there's no Skilene in this one… I'm so sorry! Anyway… I still hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 6

Private's eyes fluttered open as he slowly sat up, excruciating pain flowing through his veins, burning ruby red with fury and breathless bewilderment.

Charcoal coloured feathers were littered across the sandy shore of the deserted island, while some still clung messily to the little penguins body, intermixed with sticky green seaweed and pungent sea salt.

The young cadet groaned in abhorrence, glaring at the moldy vegetation tangled in his feathers, and shook them off with much revulsion. Once most of the infernal brackish greenery was free of Private's plumage, he hopped to his feet.

The chubby penguin skimmed the sandy shore with vigilant, tired eyes for the other MIAs, and much to his relief, he spotted them farther down the coastline- unmoving and tangled amidst the seawater. They lay like ashen basking rocks, hot under the suns scalding, yellow rays.

Private happily threw his flippers above his head, relieved at the fact that he had managed to locate his friends so easily, and sped carelessly down the doughy beach, stumbling hysterically across the slippery sand as he did so.

The youth halted to a stop beside Becky and fell to his knees, grasping her arm. He hauled the unconscious body of the blonde badger away from the possessive water, and then continued with the others, until they were all safely lying on the driest part of the shore.

He ran his eyes over his teammates chests to insure that breath was evident in their fleshy pink lungs, but stopped when he noticed that Becky's body was sickeningly still.

Private's breathing quickened, beads of sweat and salty air condensing on his brow. "Becky?" He ventured breathlessly, his voice trembling. An utterance that he had so desperately anticipated was absent. He quickly pressed his head and prayed silently that perhaps the murmur of her heart would permeate the air.

Silence.

Tears of painful trepidation streaked down Private's cheeks as his breathing hastened.

"Now, what did Kowalski tell me about CPR?" Private frantically tried to recall, terror mounting as time became more and more of the essence. He flipped through his memories quickly like a weathered sketchbook, and finally found the picture that depicted Rico, sprawled on the ground, lifeless and silent in the middle of their zoo…

_Kowalski rushed forward, pushing through the throng of animals that had began to crowd around the lifeless body of the demolitions expert. He shouted the manic bird's name in a strong, intelligent rhythm as he grasped his shoulders and frantically shook him. "Private! Come here!" the scientist called. The previously mentioned clumsy bird plopped down beside him. "Listen Private, I just need you to pay attention to what I'm going to do, just in case you're ever going to need to use it. It's called cardiopulmonary resuscitation. I'll explain what it means later. First, I'm going to check whether he's breathing." Kowalski bent his head low and for ten seconds, listened for a tiny swoosh of air through Rico's mouth. The strategist shook his head, as he elevated Rico into a diagonal position. " I'm going to breathe air into his lungs, but I want to make sure that I don't force in too much, because I may breathe air into his stomach and cause him to vomit." Private looked on innocently as Kowalski pressed his beak to the Mohawk wielding avian's and compelled air in his lungs. The lieutenant picked his head back up, and shifted his gaze back at the cadet beside him. "Now, we check if he has a pulse," Kowalski stuck a flipper under Rico's neck, feeling for a little throb that would indicate life. "No pulse. Watch what I do carefully," Kowalski overlapped his flippers over Rico's chest, and began to pump at a steady beat. After 20 consecutive pumps, the scarred penguin sat upright and gasped._

Private snapped back to the present, and stared at the badger's body. He heard Kowalski in his head, steadily guiding his every move with a paternal wing, as he slowly began to revive her. After five shaky minutes, frustrated tears began to pool in his eyes, as she remained unresponsive. The youth kept pressing his flippers onto her torso and breathing life into her, growing hysterical as another minute rolled by.

Exhaustion wracked Private's muscles and made his mind whirl as he tried harder and harder to save her. He collapsed on her chest and began to sob, accepting defeat and the fact that she wasn't come back.

Yet, as he lay there, he felt her chest slowly start to rise and fall. Private laughed breathlessly as relief washed over him. The British penguin's solace was increased even more when the others began to stir. Sienna was one of the first to regain consciousness, soon followed by Rico.

"Private? Is that you?" asked the wild cat, squinting through her blurry, unfocused vision. The cadet nodded in reply, "Yes. It's me Sienna. Rico? Are you alright?"

The demolitions expert nodded as well, "Uh huh." He grunted in reply.

"Is Becky okay though?" queried Sienna fearfully, eyeing the still out cold body of the blonde badger that lay on the ground beside Private.

"Her heart stopped working for a while, but I managed to revive her. Just in time too." Answered the youth, following the Rhodesian Slasher's gaze, "she just needs a good, long rest."

Sienna smiled, "Good job Private." She praised.

The youngster smiled proudly, "Thanks. Now come on. We have to find the others." He urged.

"Rico if you don't mind."

Private gestured towards Becky with a hopeful look in his eye, and much to his pleasure, Rico didn't hesitate. The maniac scooped up the female fighter and carried her on his back, "Let's go." He grunted, starting off down the beach.

Private and Sienna followed suit.

**Again I'm extremely sorry, to those of you who are Skilene fans that were hoping for some Marlene and Skipper stuff this chapter. I promise that in the next chapter, there WILL be Skilene material. I swear it. The good news is that it should be up tomorrow! Until then… REVIEW!**


	7. Two More

**Here's chapter 7! Or as some of you like to call it, "The Skilene chapter". This was written by andromeda123 since I was rather busy these past few days, and requested her to write this. I only edited and proofread it. So basically to sum it up: andromeda deserves most of the credit. Plus its long! Anyway… enjoy!**

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Chapter 7

Marlene woke as a jolt of electricity shot down her bruised spine. She sat upright with a strong jerk and rubbed her aching forehead, the pain in her skull ebbing away with each rhythmic stroke of her soft fingertips. With her other paw, she gently rubbed the coarse skeletal remains of the boat that lay underneath her, while her wild brown eyes scanned the alien environment. 20 to 30 yards away, her friends' once glorious ship, was now a ball of twisted black metal, that had already began its slow descent into the abysmal depths.

Orange and yellow tipped flames danced around the wreckage, their fiery, wicked fingers entwined over a gasoline rainbow. "Oh my…" choked the sea mammal, pulling back her lower lip between her teeth, choking back a sob. She straightened her back and looked for a familiar face, yet found none. "Skipper?" she called.

Nothing.

The only sound that could be heard was the reverberation of the groaning hull that was slowly filling with black, swirling water, dragging several of the flames below the calm surface.

"Rico? Private? Angelique? Anybody?"

The wind whipped the side of Marlene's face, blurring her cloudy eyes even further.

The hazel-eyed female flicked her teary gaze towards her sore, abused fingers playing in the water that had puddled onto her dilapidated raft. Sopping wet, her  
paws were pulled closer to her face for closer inspection. A glossy pearl of blood oozed from underneath her cracked nail from one of her fingers, the carmine liquid-sphere growing in size and breaking over her fingertip. "Ouch..." she grumbled miserably, taking her paw off of her head and wrapping it around her finger, squeezing it tightly. She smeared the tears streaming down her face away with her shoulder, then drew her body into a tight embrace. "No tears Marlene... you're gonna need all your strength to survive." She demanded herself.

The female captain knew that she had to live regardless of the position she was in. She glanced at the sky, hoping that it would perhaps tell her what time of day it was.

The sun was beginning to crawl behind the horizon, and a cool night breeze ran through her tangled fur. She shivered slightly, and reminded herself to be an emotionless soldier, unaffected by trivial weather patterns.

Marlene felt her mother's strength creep into her muscles, primal determination coursing through her veins. _At least you still have your life, that's more than..._ Suddenly her mother's voice rung out; _"Oh stop it, we'll have plenty of time to mourn once we get some food in your stomach. Stop trying to feel sorry for yourself."_She urged.

The Asian otter cast her gaze back to the swiftly fading ship and drew a long shaky breath into her lungs. Crawling over to the edge of her raft, she peered into the mysterious, ominous waters. "Don't think about the sharks..." She said aloud as she swallowed hard. Without another thought, she filled her cheeks with air and plunged into the water.

The Team Double X leader floated motionless for a moment as bubbles that looked like liquid mercury, shining and fleeting, formed over her lips and broke the surface. She could feel the waters' clumsy fingers run through her pelt as her little heart, although terrified, slowed so it was now but a dim rosy flicker in her chest. She opened her amber flecked pools slowly, wincing slightly to accommodate a blow from a lurking shark. _No sharks..._sweet relief washed over her. She began to slide through the water effortlessly, terrified to the bone of what she may find.

The cinnamon furred girl knew there was a very real, and very disturbing possibility that her dead teammates may be there, their bodies rotting away under the sun or maybe digested by a creature that had just floated from the depths for a quick snack. Or even worse- they may be alive, suffering with some horrible malformation that may require clemency on her behalf her to take them out of their misery. She swallowed hard, and put on a brave face. Glancing away from the target and towards the sea floor, she widened her eyes in delight and surprise. Alive and bustling with shimmering vibrancy from the diverse sea life, she couldn't help but to marvel in its splendor for brief a moment.

The female leader proceeded slowly towards the ship, and as she did, she was reminded of the saying that her mother had always said, "There is always a silver lining!" She told her, right up until the day she died. Those words were the last thing she uttered before she passed, sweat soaked and balding on a bed of twisted leaves and whatever else her little family could find in her old zoo. _I miss her, and I'm gonna miss- _Marlene's thoughts were interrupted by her mother's voice again; _"What did I tell you Marlene? Stop thinking about them, and worry about yourself."_She reached the ship with a pang in her chest and tense apprehension limiting her mobility, making her fluid movements seem robotic. She slipped through an ugly crack in the ship and broke the surface inside.

Much to her luck, there was a small pocket of air that allowed her to greedily inhale and exhale loudly. She scanned the dim area, and saw nothing but a bright orange flashlight floating in the water, casting spindly patterns of illumination that danced off the high rounded ceiling and low walls. "No food," She sighed, disappointed and exhausting all other options.

Marlene swam to the flashlight and gingerly grasped it in her drenched paws. "Well, this could come in handy..." She mumbled to herself, and was reminded once more of the silver lining. The Asian otter shined the flashlight in the pocket once more to insure that there was nothing that she had missed that could have been of good use. Yet, as its yellow rays reached the darkest recesses of the ship, she noticed some sort of object in the water with shimmery black skin.

The whiskered female glanced around wildly for a quick exit, yet she was cornered like prey. The only available exit lay behind the creature, and unless she had a death wish, she dared not to move towards it. Marlene felt hopelessly trapped in that little dark corner, terror beginning to take hold and make her head feel numb.

Her imagination soared as she conjured morbid thoughts about her flesh being mercilessly torn by a shark's jagged white teeth, and it ignoring her futile cries. If it was a shark though, it appeared as though it was a small one, barely a foot or so long.

However, with one drop of blood dispersed through the water, she would be like a bright yellow beacon that begged to be pursued. And all it took was one little shark to commence the horrifying process with one little slice from its teeth. It twitched its body and swam towards her, drawing the color from her face. _Oh no... _She thought as she remembered her cracked fingernail oozing blood just before she leapt into the water, her heartbeat thumping louder and louder.

_Oh please, please let that not be a shark... _She prayed silently, holding her breath and daring not to make a sound. If the beast registered even the slightest twitch, she knew she would be immediately slaughtered. The aquatic mammal watched the monster through dilated, fearful eyes as it slowly floated towards her, mocking her fruitless little prayers.

Slowly, it opened its wide mouth, causing the otter to wince and cry out fearfully. She shut her eyes tight as the flashlight slipped through her trembling fingers and made a loud splash in the water. "No!" She screamed, and pressed her body hard against the slick grey walls. She covered her eyes and began to cry silently, knowing deep in her gut that this would be how she would die, alone and afraid like her teammates. A large splash permeated the musky air, salt water spraying her arms that were raised in order to try to protect herself. Ragged gasps and violent coughing could suddenly be heard, following that, a warm sensation tingled the side of her arm.

The she-captain leaned farther into the wall and yelped from the stranger's unwarranted touch. "Its...alright...dollface..." The mysterious creature reassured breathlessly. Marlene let the dim lighting enter her eyes, and floating before her was her exhausted, panting commanding officer.

A barrage of emotions flashed on her face- Fear, joy, sadness, and then fury. Skipper thoroughly enjoyed the last one, smirking contently as her anger began to smolder in her eyes and shoot through her pores.

"Just adorable..." He teased, a smug grin plastered across his beak.

"That's not funny Skipper; do you have any idea how scared I was? And what're you doing, just sitting there smiling like nothing just happened, and that our boat just didn't sink, and that we may starve to death, and that our teammates aren't-"

"Dead? No, they're not dead. If anything, we're dead if we stay here and keep bickering over nothing. For pity's sake Marlene, don't be stupid." His fury began to intensify as those last words flowed from his mouth, yet a flash of remorse flickered in his eyes. Yet he took a bit of delight knowing that he hurt her, wanting her to hurt as much as he did right now. _You're a monster for wanting that..._He inwardly scolded himself.

Marlene jerked her body away from his touch and glared at him, "Nothing? That's what you think. To you I'm just a stupid little mammal, and what I feel and what I think is just complete nonsense! I'm dumb, aren't I? Well guess what, I'm not the one who almost killed Julien, and delayed us so that we would be in this mess. Just look what you did Skipper, you got your friends all probably killed. You don't know if they're dead or alive, and lying to yourself isn't going to change anything."

"I didn't mean-" He paused. His face grew hard as he cocked a jaw and glared at her. The flat-headed leader closed his eyes tight and drew in a long shaky breath collecting his composure and thoughts. _McArthur starch short pants… this is all my fault..._he thought despairingly to himself.

Skipper swallowed the hard lump in his throat as bitter tears began to sting his eyes.

Marlene sympathized with him a moment by softening her fiery gaze and defensive muscles. She noticed the tears in his eyes, although he tried hard to hide them. At the sight of this remorseful action, she felt her insides flip and holes of condolence being burned into her body.

"I've looked everywhere on this ship for anything useful, and all I found was that flashlight." He gestured over to the light bobbing in the water. " Everything else has been either taken by the current, sank, or consumed."

The commander brushed their argument aside and resumed an authoritative demeanor. Marlene sighed, almost relieved that he dropped the argument, then slowly nodded. She glided towards the flashlight and flicked her gaze over to Skipper. "Fine. Follow me," she said as she placed the flashlight in between her teeth and disappeared under water. Skipper drew in a lungful of air and dove after her, following close behind the chestnut otter. She broke the surface gracefully at a small, buoyant portion of the boat that had broken off and crawled on.

The hazel-eyed mammal stuck her hand in the water and helped Skipper aboard. He crawled on and let exhaustion overcome him, flopping down and panting audibly. He had just barely noticed how dark it had gotten, and how beautiful the sky was at night. He rolled his eyes over to Marlene who was tightly holding her shivering body. "You ok?" He asked. She nodded, and forced on a grin. "Its just a bit cold, no big deal," She assured, squeezing herself tighter. Skipper shook his head and crawled over to her. He drew her in close with his flippers and sighed.

"What are you-?"

"It's gonna get colder. I'm trying to save us, don't make this weirder than it has to  
be."

Marlene smiled, as she felt his shivering flesh grow warmer. "It wasn't even that cold..." She thought to herself. However, she took slight advantage of that moment and nestled in closer. He sighed in response, rather dreamily than he had anticipated.

Silence hung between them as they floated farther and farther from the ship, water rolling off their bodies and forming a large puddle. The moon began to drift across the sky as the hours passed, the Milky Way galaxy helping Marlene forget about her worries and fears for a moment and just bask in its magnificent splendor.

Suddenly she spoke, her voice low and soft. "Are you sleeping?" She inquired, nudging Skipper. He cleared his throat and squeezed her tighter, feeling the wonderful curves of her body fit perfectly into his. "No." He simply replied with a sigh.

Marlene drew in a long breath, and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry for fighting with you, I know you are under a lot of stress, and all I did was make it worse,"  
She awaited an answer, yet none came. All she could hear was a low chuckle tumble from his beak.

"What's so funny?" She asked, her fur bristling with mild annoyance.

"It's just that… well… our teammates are probably dead, we may starve to death or maybe eaten alive, all because I was a terrible leader, and yet you still find fault in yourself. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me, not you." He gazed up into the dark night sky dotted with stars, "And… Marlene, if anybody made anything worse. It was me."

A small smile graced Marlene's lips as she scooted closer to him, feeling the lead penguin's heartbeat intensify. "Stop it, you're a wonderful leader. And our teammates are smart, I'm sure they survived." She promised.

Skipper smiled gratefully in response, as his eyes slowly fluttered closed.

"Thanks, Marlene... and goodnight."

Marlene rested her head on his slowly rising chest, letting his masculine scent wash over her. "Goodnight to you too." She replied, and shut her eyes, immediately falling into a deep slumber.

* * *

**Now tell me… was that a great Skilene chapter or what? Tell us what you think! REVIEW! **


	8. Survival

**Here's the 8th chapter! Also I just wanted to clarify, Angelique and Kowalski are still out in the open sea. Just wanted to tell those of you who may be a little confused. Anyway, this is a long chapter, so enjoy!  
**

* * *

Chapter 8

His lead like eyelids were dragged skyward, letting dim summer light trickle into his pale blue irises. A frayed, ragged yawn filled Skipper's bruised lungs as he stretched his wings high above his head and arched his back. His spine moaned and cracked like splitting wood as he let out a breathy sigh. The captain gazed out at the boundless horizon; its splotches of harlequin color intermixed in gold-sponged clouds. He then flicked his eyes over towards the sleeping mammal beside him.

Her body was coiled up into a tight ball and permeated heat that kept Skipper's left side warm and tingly. She stirred slightly and let a soft groan escape her lips in protest to his sudden animation. The lead penguin obliged by her silent whims and nestled back into his corner, sighing low and scanning the ocean for a miracle. A heavy feeling grew within his chest as he had failed to see anything, and was about to go back to sleep, when he spotted it; a tiny, almost unnoticeable, little dot far off in the distance.

An island.

He was unable to conceal the surplus of joy that tugged the corners of his beak, making him jostle the beautiful otter awake. "Marlene... Marlene wake up! Land!" his voice was steadily growing louder and louder, causing the female to groan and flip on to her side. "Gimme five more minutes..." She groggily retorted in between gentle snoring. Skipper was taken aback by her lack of response, and shook her harder. "Marlene, wake up!" he urged, watching their only hope begin to disappear behind the horizon once more. Marlene moaned in annoyance as she lifted a limp paw into the air and shook it, attempting to shoo the rather irritating commander away. Skipper rolled his eyes and stuck his flippers in the warm water, then splashed her. Her eyes snapped open, her arms flailed to her sides like a fish as she sat upright and glared at the flat head beside her.

"Skipper! Why'd you do that!" she screeched, her eyes blazing with red, hot flames of fury as her chest heaved heavily. Skipper grasped her arms and pulled her in close, so close she could see the tiny splotches of grey in his eyes. "Land Marlene, land!" He breathlessly exclaimed. Her paws were clenched into tight fists and her eyes were narrowed as water pooled at her feet. The fearless leader, however, was unmoved by this action, and instead chuckled in amusement, "You never fail to entertain me, Marlene." He said, releasing his grasp.

Marlene's anger made her face flush as she gritted her teeth and glared daggers into his eyes. She seemed too blinded by fury to hear him utter the word "land" once more, and instead conjured revenge. This didn't go unnoticed by Skipper, and he continued. "Hey! Don't get angry with me, sister! You're the one that didn't want to look at the island I found!"

The she-leader's face relaxed suddenly as she cocked a brow at the avian captain, "Island?" Skipper pointed towards his left. The cinnamon coloured otter followed his flipper and she spotted the island. Her hazel eyes sparkled with delight as her lips stretched into a wide smile. "Yeah, that's what I said." Skipper said, clearly irked, "Now come on! Lend me _both _of your paws!"

The captain grabbed hold of one of the planks of wood sticking out from the edge of the small raft, and yanked it out. Splinters flew high in to the wind as he tossed it at Marlene's feet. Then he ripped out a piece for himself. "Now...paddle," He groaned as he stuck his plank of wood in the water and fought the current.

* * *

"Alright people! Time to wake up! You're king commands you!"

Alexander, Stacy and Iris drowsily opened their eyes as Julien paraded around them, clonking two coconut shell halves loudly together. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as he now looked upon them impatiently, glaring into their bloodshot eyes.

Alexander and Iris shared a look as Stacy growled low and kneaded the leafy bed that she lay upon with her claws. "Julien, what're you doing?" she complained, lowering her head. The autumn furred badger drew in a lungful of air and massaged the headache out of her forehead as a balmy breeze fluttered the little bristles of hair that the moss produced underneath her.

"Is there something wrong with sleeping for at least 10 more minutes?" mumbled Alexander sarcastically, propping his arms behind his head and closing his eyes.

Julien carelessly brushed off the sarcasm in his voice and continued, standing with his hands on his hips and his eyes staring pompously upon them. "I'm glad you asked scaly one, because technically, yes. There is something wrong with that, because if all of you are snoozin', no one can make me my special guava-mango smoothie!"

At these words, Alexander threw his head back and laughed mockingly at the lemur, then flipped to his side to go back to sleep. Iris face palmed, "Go make it yourself Julien," she scolded, laying back down on her makeshift bed. "I'm exhausted."

Julien's heart froze and he blinked slowly, waiting for an upcoming punch line to, in his opinion, follow the "cruel joke". However, none came, so he huffed and stuck his snout in the air, "Fine. I will. I don't need you lazy hazy animals to help me, the king," he argued, crossing his arms like a child. He turned towards the ominous, gnarled trees of the jungle that lay ahead and stomped inside, inwardly praying that somebody would stop him. "Stupidey animals," he grumbled when nobody came to his aid. He stood wanly at the inner edge of the dense foliage, and took in a shaky lungful of air. "This will be showing them..." he gulped.

The three animals sighed in relief as they watched the last of Julien's flicking black ringed tail disappear into the dense undergrowth of the jungle. Iris shook her head as guilt overwhelmed her, then laid back down on the mossy earth. She tossed and turned, fighting to keep her eyes squeezed shut and to not run after the imbecile. _He's never gonna last in there alone…_ she thought, jerking upward quickly and wringing out her jet-black wings nervously.

_What if he gets killed in there? It would be all my fault, because I didn't stop him when I could. It's not like he's mature enough to handle the wilderness by himself. Well, he did grow up in the jungle. If anything, he knows more about the jungle about us. But then of course, he was not alone in the jungle like he is now. What am I doing here sitting down like a fool? I've got to get up!_

With a growl, she scrambled to her feet and dusted off her feathers. "Guys, we can't just let him go out there all alone! He's too-"

"-stupid?" cut in Alexander, who hadn't fallen asleep yet, "Do we really have to?"

"Yeah. For once Alexander's saying something on which we can ALL agree on." laughed Stacy, who was now sitting up on her sandy bed. The water monitor shot an intimidating look towards the auburn badger then turned to face Iris.

"Anyway, I'm sure he can survive on his own for at least 15 minutes. After that's over, _then_ we can look for him." He and Stacy shared satisfied grins with each other, then glanced at the raven, who didn't look very pleased with the combat medic's notion.

Alexander gave an exaggerated groan as he slowly, and reluctantly sat up from his bed, "Fine... we'll look for the dolt."

* * *

" 'Ey! Wake up!" grunted the Rico, loudly into Private's earhole. The young cadet winced at the Mohawk wielding penguin's loud squawk and placed his flippers on the sides of his head. "Rico! What is it?" he asked, clearly peeved at the weapons expert who had most likely damaged his hearing.

Rico frowned, " 'ungry!" he grunted, pointing towards his stomach as it rumbled. Private giggled, "Of course you are. Come on then. Let's get some breakfast, then we can continue to look for the others." he reassured, standing up and stretching his limbs, "Are the others awake?" Rico nodded vigorously and pointed towards the two females sitting next to each other across from them in the small cave, chatting away.

Sienna was seated next to Becky, her tail tucked neatly over her front paws as she told the badger what had happened over the past day from when they washed up on the island to the point where they decided to rest in the den which they were currently in. Becky quietly listened to the wild cat, unusually attentive to her.

Private watched, a look of surprise filling the badger's features, then of gratitude. He wondered what the two could possibly be talking about that could be so interesting as to evoke such a response from the badger.

"He...he saved my life?" the blonde badger whispered low to the wildcat, her heart drumming against her chest. Sienna nodded, a smiling twitching her whiskers. Becky smiled back, images of the handsome private heroically breathing life into her water filled lungs.

The Team Double X member shifted her eyes across the damp cave towards the entrance, where Private and Rico had just exited to find food. Sienna paused in mid sentence as she suddenly noticed the strange twinkle emitting from the mammal's eyes, as if they had a wistful yet caring look in them. The Slasher cocked a brow in concern, "Becky? You alright?"

The previously mentioned blondie was thrown back into the present at the sound of her friend's voice. She fixed her gaze back onto the Rhodesian Slasher and smiled weakly, "Yeah. I'm fine, I'm fine." she insisted. Sienna's brow knitted in suspicion as she flicked her ears doubtfully. She knew perfectly well that Becky was lying to her, but she simply remained quiet.

She was just going to have to let nature take its course.

* * *

"Many a year ago...kingdom by the sea. A maiden lived... love and be loved. Coveted...I was a child. A wind...chilling... bore her away. The angels envying... yes, that was the reason...killing my. Our love was stronger...far wiser...can ever dissever...my soul...the soul...the... beautiful. Lie down by the side...darling...my darling. My darling..."

Angelique lowered her beautiful eyes at the sleeping strategist, a cool line of sweat on his brow as he writhed on the wooden slab. He groaned and twitched, a fearful expression filling the contours of his face. Angelique felt a pang of sadness and empathy for him, knowing that he was having the same nightmares that she had.

He mumbled on about a woman dying by the sea, a poem that she had loved that her father would tell; a poem that she memorized by heart. She turned her squinting gaze at the rising sun, its hungry yellow waves bathing her in its graceful incandescence. Dancing hand in hand amidst the golden shafts, the salty wind twirled his partner, crisp, kind oxygen, her presence gracing Angelique and Kowalski's hungry lungs.

The female avian's pale skin underneath her glossy feathers shivered, heat saturating her bones. Her brain throbbed and pressed on her skull, trying to force its way out while contemplating whether or not it has sustained a minor concussion. In its frenzied state it pounded harder, forcing the poor girls head down as she cradled her skull in her flippers. "Definitely a concussion..." she breathed, rubbing her temples in soothing circular motions.

She heard Kowalski groan and stir, his muscles creaking like that of a rusty red porch swing, his eyelids twitching like an insects curious antenna. His rambling suddenly ceased, replacing it was the swish of foamy seawater and gulls, crying wistfully out at the sky. She jerked her head quickly from her sweaty flippers and analyzed where the permeation could have possibly been uttered. "Seagulls mean land," She thought to herself, joy bubbling over as she crawled over to Kowalski and whispered "Wake up."

He furrowed his brow and slowly opened his eyes, squinting when the light hit them. The first thing he saw was her beautiful face, smiling upon him like an angel, begotten by light that swaddled her body in gold and burned bright in her irises like purple thunder.

He wondered if he was dead, and if so if this was what heaven sent to whisk him and Angelique to eternal bliss. "Kowalski, I think I found land," the angel said sweetly. Kowalski wondered why a holy creature would utter something so pedestrian such as whether or not there was land nearby, then came to the realization that she was not an angel at all.

He was still floating aimlessly on a wooden raft, destined for doom for he had no supplies, and wondering who will be dead first, him or Angelique. He sat up slowly, muscles like lead, howling and bowing to the whims of gravity and weighting the stagiest down. Angelique grasped his arm, making his heart flutter in a rather sickening manner, and brought his attention.

"Look!" she whispered, her voice wavering delightfully. His bloodshot eyes shot up to the infinite blue sky, watching carefully the little birds that looked like fleas circle ahead. "It would appear that you are correct," Kowalski began, getting to his feet. However, I can not see-"

"-Let me get on your shoulders," Angelique interjected. Kowalski gave her a dazed look, then glanced back at the sky. "Um…what?" he asked, the butterflies getting angrier, flying and slamming into his stomach. "Perhaps with my stature and yours combined, we may be able so see land. That is, if you can stay balanced," she replied. Kowalski twiddled his flippers, a warm blush creeping under his feathers.

"Um...well...um I suppose..." he stammered, scrambling desperately for a rational thought to roll over his tongue. "Well, you can't very well stand on my shoulders, and we really don't have any other choice, do we?" Angelique got to her feet and crossed her flippers, giving him a stern but gentle look. Kowalski stifled an embarrassed smile and nodded.

"Fine... I guess, um, get on my shoulders then," he mumbled, staring at the ground. He lowered his body and tossed a look over his shoulder, signaling awkwardly that he was ready. She strolled up to him and stretched her leg over his shoulder, feeling his warm grasp on her leg for balance. She stretched her other leg over and with her voice shaking slightly, asked him if he was sure he could keep balance.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure I can," he replied, his voice an octave higher than average and his stomach churning with apprehension. He staggered to his feet, groaning slightly from the weight on his shoulders and balancing them carefully. After a moment of silence, he asked if she saw anything. "Well, I think I see an island up ahead..." She told him, leaning forward slightly and squinting in the direction of the tiny black dot. Kowalski smiled, a safe feeling replacing the butterflies.

He lowered her to the ground, one flipper pressed on the wood for his own support and the other in the female strategists flipper to ensure she didn't fall off his shoulders. He ducked his head as she slipped over him, then felt her tight grasp unfurl. Flicking his gaze ahead, he saw Angelique standing in front of him, a distant look in her eyes and a flipper underneath her chin.

He stood up and looked at her with a quizzical gaze, awaiting a body gesture. "Well, we can either swim, or rip some wood from the raft and paddle there," she ventured. Kowalski nodded, and looked around for a corner or wood that could be easily torn, and to his disappointment, found none.

"Negative on both of those options. These waters are shark infested, and there's no way we can rip a piece of wood from our raft," he began. "Yet, we can paddle with our flippers," Angelique nodded and got to her knees at the waters edge.

The lieutenant waddled towards her and knelt down beside her, stealing a glance at her determined face as he did so. She stuck a flipper in the warm water and began to move the raft towards the little island, Kowalski doing the same. Moments passed, the trying nature of the task at hand beginning to tire the muscles in their arms as water was swished to the side, tugging the raft along the waters' surface.

"Do you know that you talk in your sleep?" Angelique asked, a hint of laughter in her voice in between each paddle. Kowalski blushed and shook his head. "No, what was I saying?" he mumbled, the hot sun beating down on his back. "You were reciting a poem by Edgar Allen Poe, and I didn't think you could read," Kowalski scrunched his brow and tried to recall where he heard that poem.

The pensive expression relaxed when he had remembered who had told him that story. "My mother liked that poem, and she used to recite it to me whenever I felt scared. It was a strange choice though, considering that it was a story about a girl catching pneumonia and dying. It definitely got my mind off of whatever frightened me," He replied, smiling at that memories, is mother's every facial gesture and voice modulation etched in his brain. "My father used to tell me that story at bedtime," Angelique told him, her own memories of him flashing before her eyes. They both sat in silence for a moment, drifting closer and closer to the island. Finally, Kowalski spoke.

"I was having a nightmare," Kowalski said suddenly, looking over at Angelique. She gave him a sorry expression, her eyes begged him to say more partly because she was curious about his dreams, and partly because she knew it would help rid him of his terrible thoughts if he shared them.

"I had a dream that we were starving out here, and you were disappearing slowly. I tried to grab you so you wouldn't slip away, but you still floated away," he uttered, his brow pleating, his voice sounding ragged and tired. Angelique smiled sweetly and grasped his flipper in her own, then gave him a reassuring squeeze. He tensed up, the butterflies returning more violent than ever as he diverted his gaze from the island to her hypnotizing eyes.

"You don't have to worry about that now, we're going to be ok," She whispered, nudging him affectionately, then releasing her grasp and peddling in the water once more. Kowalski turned his head away from her and vomited.

* * *

**There you go! One nice long chapter! REVIEW!**


	9. Two out of Eleven

**Here's the 9****th**** chapter! Hope you enjoy!  
**

* * *

Chapter 9

"We made it..." whispered Marlene through a sigh, breathless as she stumbled onto the sandy shores of the island, her paws soaking wet and muscles limp with exhaustion. The otter collapsed onto her knees as her legs had begun to give away underneath her.

The sky was no longer a radiant mix of peach and orange, but instead, was a vibrant blue sheet strewn with long, puffy, white balls of cotton; a beautiful afternoon. "I wonder whether the others ended up here too. Should we look for them?"

Marlene turned towards Skipper for an answer. He looked ragged and completely worn out as he labored with every step, ignoring the shrieks and protests from his muscles.

"Marlene. We've already used up too much of our energy paddling here. We can't push it any further," he groaned, straightening his spine and swiping his eyes over the little island.

The aquatic mammal frowned. "But if we stay here, it'll get too dark for us t-"

Skipper cut her off. "It's better to rest and save energy. Gathering supplies should take us a few hours; we should prepare to stay the night on the beach. Then we can search the island for the others in the morning."

Marlene seemed rather dubious of the plan, but decided to just comply with his wishes. "Alright. You win," she began, a hint of reluctance lingering in her voice as she spoke, "maybe I can gather supplies for some bedding along the shore or something." She added.

Skipper nodded quickly, drawing in a long breath and placing his flippers behind his back.

"Right, and I'll gather the firewood. Move out. "He turned his rigid back from Marlene and the setting sun and started towards the pieces of driftwood scattered along the hard sand that the waters' fingers had managed to reach out to.

The female leader sighed, throwing one last gaze in the direction of the flat-headed penguin before journeying towards the few stars that had begun to litter the skyline.

She turned around and slowly started to trudge along the beach, sweeping her eyes across the sandy dunes of the bay front for any signs of leaves or moss buried within them; anything that would help her.

In a few hours, Marlene had managed to obtain a rather large cluster of palm leaves, vines and moss, just enough necessaries for two makeshift beds, draped over her arm.

With a sigh, she dumped the tangled greenery at her feet and plopped onto the ground. Looking up, she noticed that Skipper had just arrived, a large bundle of twigs and branches held within his grasp.

"This should be enough." grumbled the flat-headed penguin as he laid the sticks down in front of him into a large pile. The sun had set, and the sky was already turning a mesmerizing midnight blue, the soft pink and orange hues of sunset slowly disappearing from sight.

There was something in his flippers that caught Marlene's eyes, two winking rocks, opalescent, yet still retaining a hint of translucence. He knelt on the ground, scooping dried leaves that Marlene had gathered and struck the two rocks together. A spark was produced, then another after each strike he kept striking harder, each one becoming more and more violent. Then, the hair like plant fibers began to smolder, creamy white smoke snaking out from little red embers clinging to the dried vegetation.

Marlene watched silently from the side, mostly focusing on finishing the woven leaf blankets, delicately entwining the fragile vines in between the palm fronds. The captain felt her occasional glances burning into him, and without taking his eyes of his work said, "It's quartz."

The hazel-eyed mammal, who wasn't watching him at the time, raised her brow in puzzlement, "Huh?"

Skipper raised the two stones held tightly in his flippers, letting the moonlight shine upon them. Marlene put her half finished blanket aside and leaned forward to take a closer look.

"How are you sure that's quartz and why tell me?" she asked, half suspicious and half just plain curious.

Skipper sighed as he shifted his focus back onto his work, "I've had plenty of practice with lighting fires back when Manfredi and Johnson were still around. You'd be amazed, Marlene, about how many things you can pick up in a lifetime." he replied plainly in between grunts, as he continued to strike the two chunks of quartz.

Marlene frowned, "You still haven't answered my second question." she reminded, slowly swishing her tail back and forth behind her in a rather agitated manner. At these words, the lead penguin's flippers jerked to a stop. "Classified." he simply replied, then continued on with his work. He knelt down to blow air on the smoking pile of fried plants, the embers at the tips growing hotter and redder. As time passed, he ignited it into a small hungry flame that began to inhale the surrounding wood and permeate the air with a musky, comforting aroma. The flat head picked himself from the sand and leaned back, sitting opposite Marlene, the warm fire crackling in between the two. After a few moments, he allowed a sigh of relief to escape his lungs.

"Good job Skipper," praised Marlene as she held the soft palm blankets out in front of her and the commander. "So? What do you think?" she asked, shaking the green sheet.

Skipper raised his brow in surprise, a small smile crossing his beak.

"Wow. Didn't think that you could manage something like that," he commented, a modest chuckle ringing in his voice. "Nice."

A smug grin replaced the small smile on his face at the sight of Marlene's beaming face as she set the makeshift bed sheet aside. "Never thought I'd hear you say that to me," she said as she gingerly rubbed her paws together close by the fire. The leader shrugged. "Well it had to happen sooner or later, Marlene. You know that," he replied, staring into the otter's shining hazel eyes that reflected the crackling campfire.

Marlene grunted in reply, staring out into the open sea; its waves lapping calmly against the soft shore of the island. She frowned as the images of her lost friends floated into her mind- their smiling faces burning deeply into her bruised skull. The pang in her heart reappeared and made her stomach acid churn.

"I hope they're alright…" she thought, gazing wistfully out into the dark horizon in the distance.

* * *

"Kowalski! Come on! We're nearly there!" urged Angelique, her voice weak with fatigue. The lieutenant beside her groaned as he tried to lift his tired limbs, stomach acid and puke slowly rising up his throat. With a disgusted grimace, he forced the foul fluid back down and dipped his makeshift paddle into the calm ocean waters. After several finishing shoves, the two castaway avians found their raft finally reaching the edge of the island, wedging itself into the damp sand of the tideline.

The female scientist dragged her sore body onto the shore and Kowalski scrambled after her. When the two finally managed to crawl to the driest part of the coastline, they collapsed, their bodies giving away to the excruciating carbuncle that had already made its way into their muscles.

* * *

Two dark figures squirmed in the distance, they're faces dimmed immensely by the light of the moon. Marlene squinted her eyes suspiciously as she watched the two silhouettes eventually crumple onto the shore. She cocked a brow at the mysterious pair. "Hey, Skipper…" she began softly. "Someone's washed up on the island."

The captain narrowed his eyes in confusion as he turned around, only to be greeted with the sight of the two previously mentioned shadows, lying on the bay front about a mile ahead, their limp bodies sprawled onto the sand. The larger figure coughed loudly into the ground, the smaller one crawling to his side and comforting it.

He rubbed the bottom of his beak as he steadily got up, his gaze still fixed on the duo ahead.

" Let's go check it out…" Marlene began, staggering to her feet and striding over towards them. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Skipper exclaimed, rushing in front of her and halting her to a stop with a firm grasp on her shoulders.

"And where do you think you're going?" her commanding officer scolded. Marlene rolled her eyes and brushed him aside.

"What does it look like? I want to-"

"-You're not going anywhere. Just sit down and let the man take care of it,"

Skipper said with a confident smirk on his beak, his chest puffed out. He bent down and grasped a stick that the fire neglected and started towards the figures.

Marlene stared at him, dumbfounded that he would dare say something like that. She growled low under her breath and scooped up her own weapon into her paws and followed him, the fur on her neck bristling with anger and slight apprehension.

"Skipper, I am not going to just let you go alone!" she growled, rushing beside him. The captain stopped in his tracks, frustration creeping under his feathers.

"Marlene, listen to me. I don't want you to get hu-"

"-I'm not a little girl, Skipper. I can take care of myself, just trust me, okay?"

Skipper looked at her with an annoyed, angered and slightly pained look in his eyes. Irked that she had wanted to disobey his orders, yet somewhat worried that she could get hurt. Marlene sensed this and softened her glare, reaching out to grasp his flipper reassuringly. "Please, trust me when I say I can take care of myself," she quietly said, smiling.

The flat headed avian sighed, furrowed his brow and contemplated her words. "Fine..." he grumbled finally. "But just in case they're up to no good, I'm taggin' along on your little "investigation", capiche?"

Marlene felt anger prickle the skin underneath her fur once more, but felt that she needed to give in to his requests if they were going to work as a team. "Fine," she snapped, still unsatisfied with her leader's notion.

The two eventually reached the pair of shadows, cautious as to not alarm them by treading lightly and suppressing breath. Marlene carefully stepped over to the smaller shadow and knelt beside it. Skipper looked as though he was going to vomit when she did that, fretting at the possible fact that the two strangers might really be a threat and might make a sudden move on her.

The female leader raised a cautious paw, her fingers trembling with apprehension. With a surge of sudden courage, she flipped over one of the black bodies, revealing it to be none other than-

"-Angelique?"

* * *

**Many reviews= happy authors= earlier update times  
**

**Remember that equation! So… REVIEW!**


	10. Discovery

**Here's chapter 10, enjoy! Also, andromeda123 and I just wanted to give a special shout out to ****ViolaViolette, Reznov, hardrocker21 and 13thsense who have given our story such great reviews as well as given us great advice! Thank you all for your support! Anyway, enough with the adulation! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 10

"Angelique?"

Marlene murmured, shock and joy pinching at her vocal cords. She studied her friend's features carefully trying to disprove her wide eyes, yet there was simply no way that the unconscious figure before her could be anybody else. There was no doubt about it.

"Angelique! Hey Skipper! It's Angelique!" she called, her voice slowly rising from a shocked whisper to a joyful cry. Yet, staring at the female avian's lifeless body, she felt dread begin to prickle in her chest. With a frantic, and slightly trembling paw, she pressed gently on the spot underneath Angelique's neck, just below her beak and felt for the throb of life. Much to her relief, she could feel the penguin's veins' faint, yet rapid contractions and expansions as blood flowed briskly through their narrow passageways. "Thank goodness…" Marlene laughed, sweet relief washing over her.

The otter then pointed excitedly towards the out cold figure of her best friend that lay before her, catching the commanding officers attention. Skipper's eyes widened, "If that's Angelique… then this must be…" the captain trailed off as he reached down and turned the sleek, lifeless body that was sprawled next to the female penguin around. "...Kowalski…"

Skipper checked, just as Marlene had, for a pulse, sticking his flipper underneath Kowalski's jaw, and to his relief; found one. He and Marlene shared a smile.

"We found them! And they're alive!" declared Marlene happily through a laugh, throwing her arms in the air as a broad grin stretched across her face. Her hazel coloured eyes sparkled with a look of both happiness and relief through the  
darkness. Skipper smiled weakly, "Yeah, now come on. Help me get these two over there." The leader cocked his head to his left, gesturing towards the warm, crackling campfire ahead. With a loud grunt, he threw the egghead's motionless body over his shoulder, and slowly plodded through the damp sand that lay beneath his webbed feet.

Marlene grabbed hold of Angelique's left flipper with one paw, while the other slipped underneath the female scientist's back. Using the one that was tucked neatly underneath Angelique, Marlene pushed the penguin's limp body up, slinging the penguin's sleek, black wing gently over her shoulder as she did so. With all the strength left inside her legs, she heaved Angelique and herself off the ground, and slowly she began to trudge after Skipper.

It was rather difficult to support Angelique and walk quickly at the same time, but eventually the aquatic mammal managed to catch up with her commanding officer, who was already sitting down.

"Do you think they're alright?" asked Marlene, laying Angelique's body gently down on the sand beside her. Skipper squinted through the moist air as he struggled to catch some sort of sign that could tell him of his lieutenant's  
condition. "Well, they have a pulse, and they appear to be breathing. That's all we can really ask for right now." He rubbed the back of his head and looked at Kowalski, his chest slowly rising and falling, a look of angelic simplicity stitched on his face. The flat head then glanced towards his left, silently watching Marlene as she examined Angelique slowly, complete care put into her work. _She really does care about her teammates… wish I was just as thoughtful towards my men after the ship sank… _thought Skipper ruefully, a frown tugging on the corners of his beak.

_I can't believe I was so...cold. They're my family! Yet I still took the fact that they were most likely dead, lightly… as if it was no big deal. Least we found Kowalski before it was too late…  
_  
The otter beside him caught his dark illustration, and knitted her brow in concern. "Skipper?" the leader looked up from his brooding, "Are you okay? Is there something bothering you?" A soft growl of annoyance rumbled deep in  
Skipper's chest as he swiveled his body around so that he was no longer facing her. "I'm fine Marlene!" He insisted, an unintended harshness ringing through his abrupt and rather rude assurance. Immediately, a pang of guilt shot through the commander's heart. Though he was shameful of his actions, it was too late to take his previous retort back now, if he did, he would be acting like a total nancycat. At least… that's what thought.

Luckily, Marlene was immune to his strident comments, and retaliated, but in a more serious tone; much less rigorous than the way Skipper had replied before. "No you're not. I wasn't born yesterday, Skipper. I can tell whether something's wrong or not." She shot him a rather stern look before continuing, "And incase you haven't noticed, I'm female, so it's sort of in my nature."

By now, the chocolate furred otter was towering over him. The only way the situation could be interpreted was with the image of Marlene as a parent, and Skipper as a stubborn teenager arguing over personal problems. Not exactly Skipper's cup of tea.

Though the officer was reluctant, he still decided to comply with his companion's wishes, "Fine… I guess… I just-well… miss my men…" replied Skipper, his booming, confident tenor weak and fragile. Salty tears welled up in his eyes, but he quickly rubbed them out. The cinnamon coloured otter smiled sympathetically as she placed a comforting paw on his shoulder, "Of course you do. They're family, aren't they?"

The leader didn't react with a gesture of body language of any kind, "Well… the thing is… I just feel bad that I didn't give any concern towards them back when we were arguing in the ship." He finally replied.

The female leader nodded in understanding; he finally opened up.

_Mission accomplished._ She thought with a victorious, yet satisfied beam.

* * *

"I can't believe I let you drag me into this…" groaned Stacy, forcing a moss-speckled branch out of the way, "We've been hiking all day and still haven't found that horrible excuse for a castaway, Julien!"

Iris sighed as she forced her own anger down into the pit of her chest, "I know things are starting to look bleak but we've gotta keep searching! For all we know he could be dead by now!"

"And this affects us how?" cut in Alexander, "With that stupid lemur out of the way, a lot of burden would be lifted from our shoulders if you know what I mean." Iris flashed a glare at the reptile trailing behind the group, but said nothing as she ventured forward.

The previously mentioned raven was walking ahead, leading the small group through the dense jungle, the autumn furred badger in second and the reptile at the very back.

Once Stacy had made it past the springy branch, she let go. The flexible tree limb recoiled, accidentally whipping a certain water monitor in the stomach. He yelped in pain as a throbbing thin, red mark appeared on his light underbelly.

The pain and shock written upon the poor reptile's face was replaced with a look of anger and annoyance. His eyes flashed with fury as he shifted his gaze towards the two females standing before him, their bodies stiffened with alarm. "Oh my…" murmured Iris, placing the tips of her wings over her beak, anxiousness twinkling in her eyes.

A deep growl vibrated in Alexander's throat as he glared at the females; "I should kill you right here and now…" he began coldly, striding slowly towards the auburn badger, his eye twitching with powerful resentment and a scaly finger outstretched and pointing towards her.

Stacy backed away slowly, fear emanating from her pores and her ears pressed flat against her head. "I'm sorry?" she apologized, flashing a sheepish, toothy grin towards the combat medic.

Eventually, Alexander was looming over Stacy as they had backed up so much that they walked into a nearby tree. "But I can't do that." Just as those strange words flowed out of the reptile's mouth, Stacy's expression shifted, from one of fear and dread, to one of confusion and surprise. "Huh?"

A small, malevolent, teasing smile appeared upon Alexander's handsome face, "Since you are a teammate. You're considered privileged." The auburn badger's eyes widened to their limits, "What?" The reptile continued, "You're lucky…" suddenly his face abruptly contorted into a small frown, "embrace that." And with those final words, the water monitor stomped past the two girls and went ahead.

The autumn-furred badger let out a sigh of relief, as she glanced at Iris, who flashed her a nervous smile of both shock and disbelief before shuffling after the lizard. Stacy still couldn't shake the feeling that the previous fit that the reptile threw; was all a charade, but she did in the end and followed suit. Eventually, the three came across a rather large cave at the edge of a wide clearing surrounded with thick bushes and tall kapok and cercropia trees. A warm amber luminesce could be seen glowing deeply from within the stone grotto, but from a distance, it appeared merely as a faint gleam.

"Look!" exclaimed Iris, pointing towards the cavern entrance, "Someone's in there!" Alexander and Stacy cautiously leaned forward, and peered into the darkness, the cave's damp and musky air wafting into their nostrils. Muffled whispers rose from inside, followed by the soft padding of footsteps. "Someone's in there…" said Stacy, her voice trembling. "Standby!" ordered Alexander swiftly. Immediately, the three castaways jumped into the shadows, camouflaging themselves within the rapidly growing undergrowth encircling the edges of the clearing.

Moments after, four silhouettes exited out of the stone grotto running into the small pool of moonlight that shone in the centre of the clearing that lay outside the cave.

"Becky!" shrieked Stacy, pouncing out of her hiding place and towards her twin sister, knocking her over in the process. "I can't believe it's you!"

The blonde badger that lay underneath Stacy grinned happily as she recognized her kin in an instant, "Stacy! You're okay!" together, the siblings picked themselves up and shared a hug. Sienna ran towards Iris, the two laughed in delight as they embraced each other gleefully.

Rico and Private strolled casually towards Alexander, who was silently watching the girls rejoice in within the darkness of the trees that hung over him. When the reptile caught sight of the two penguins, a smug smile grew along the sides of his lips as he crossed his arms in front of his burly chest. "Good to see you guys again. Didn't think you'd managed to survive." He said, high-fiving them both, "Thought you might be dead." Private cocked a playful brow as he smiled at the combat medic's jeer, "We thought so too. It's a good thing you aren't though."

The demolitions expert beside him whooped in agreement, "you da man!" (You're the man!) Alexander chuckled in amusement, "Yeah, you should know." He said, a slight snicker tingling his voice.

"What in the name of the sky spirits is going on out there?"

The animals collectively groaned at the sound of Julien's obnoxious voice ringing from inside the cave. "Well… looks like our burden is back. Heavier than ever…" muttered Alexander grumpily under his breath. Stacy, who was standing next to him, nodded in agreement, "Amen brother. Amen."

"Oh! Freaky badger lady! Black birdie! Lizard guy! You have once again come to bask in the glory of your great king, yes?" Iris rolled her eyes, "No, Julien. We've been searching the island for you!" she snapped in annoyance. The ringtail shrugged indifferently, "Eh. Whatevers…" and he strolled back into the warmth of the cave. The girls followed, and the males walked after them.

Inside the cave's yawning, toothy mouth bore glittering radiance from the ceiling and walls. It appeared as though it possessed veins of crystal, quartz to be precise. The walls also dripped cool water onto the hungry, hissing fire, and into  
the animals' fur, feathers and skin. The cave's atmosphere, when not nestled around the fire, chilled your blood, a frigid wind blowing from the deepest recesses of the cave. The sight would have captivated the animals if it had not been night, most of their vision limited and their tempers flaring.

Iris found a spot in the sand and suddenly swore, _"she caught something shining from the corner of her eye"_, yet she brushed it off and stared into the hearth of the fire. The splendor the cave begat would just have to wait until morning.

"Make yourselves at home, I guess."(Sienna)

* * *

**Review please!**


	11. Castaways Reunited

**Here's chapter 11, hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Chapter 11

Pain rooted and tangled in the female scientist's bones like leafy, clamoring ivy on a chain link fence. It fixated itself onto the lean muscles in her arms, daintily tangling itself in her veins and protesting the slightest shift in bodyweight upon the fine sandy shore. She groaned as she took on the full force of her body's fury to this guest, making itself comfortable in her arms, then flutterd her long, outstretched eyelashes towards the sky.

Her wings suddenly didn't hurt so much the moment a brutal headache nestled into her cranium. She groaned once more and fumbled for something to hold on to untill the pain subsided. The sand that lay beneath her felt like a soft, khaki-coloured blanket; and it was warm. After sleeping on a splintery wooden raft for the past few nights, this was like being held in the loving embrace of a light, fluffy cloud. She sighed as the pain in her skull began to subside, letting gravity weigh her eyelids down so that sleep would once more overtake her.

Suddenly, the call of a recognizable voice permeated the air.

"Angelique! You're awake!"

The she-penguin's bloodshot eyes snapped open as she immediately recognized the voice of a certain Asian otter. She jerked upright as her name was called once more, but by someone who possessed a deeper voice with undertones of silky charisma and musky authority. Their image was smeared, and began to swirl and spin into the background like mixed water colours as Anglique squinted in their general direction. Her blurry vision finally cleared, and she found herself facing two friendly, and very familiar faces; Skipper and Marlene.

The cinnamon coloured otter's hazel eyes twinkled with delight at the sight of her most trusted companion. "Angelique!" she cried out once more. The avian chuckled weakly in amusement. "Marlene…" she began, her voice coming out in slight rasps, "thank goodness you're al-ooh!"

Much to Angelique's surprise, she didn't have the chance to finish her sentence. Her team leader had already wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into an incredibly tight hug. The breath was momentarily squeezed out of Angelique's lungs during the fond embrace, but she gained it back once Marlene ended the hug. "Sorry…" apologized the aquatic mammal, a sheepish smile plastered on her pretty face.

"I'm just really glad that you're alright."

Angelique nodded in understanding, suddenly a terrible thought struck her like a ton of bricks."Where's Kowalski?" she blurted, panic edging both her face and voice.

Skipper cocked his beak over his shoulder, placing one flipper on his hip while the other pointed at the area that he had previously gestured toward. "Come see for yourself."

The female tuxedo bird cautiously got to her webbed feet and slowly waddled in the direction of which Skipper had previously specified.

There he was, her fellow avian scientist, lying peacefully on his back several feet away, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythmic pattern.

Ever so silently, Angelique knelt down next to him and placed a flipper on the side of his tired, bedraggled face. As if on cue, Kowalski's tired, heavy eyelids slowly dragged themselves open. His pupils darted rapidly as he scanned his surroundings, only shortly after a small analysis of his current environment did he notice Angelique. His radiant sapphire irises sparkled with relief as his beak quivered open, ragged gasps escaping from it. "You're- you're alive…" he whispered, his voice slowly increasing in volume, but only slightly since his lungs were still weak from last night's paddle."Where are we?"

"We're on the island Kowalski, and I'm fine." replied the female scientist kneeling beside him resting a reassuring flipper on top of his, "So are you thankfully, and look at who're the ones responsible," Angelique gestured towards the two incoming animals. When Kowalski caught sight of his two comrades approaching, he let out a frail laugh as he pushed himself upright into a sitting position, the female strategist's flipper rested gently on his shoulder.

"Well… look what the tide dragged in…" began Skipper with a smug grin, a humorous tone ringing through his voice. The lieutenant chuckled lightly along with his commander. The flat headed penguin knelt down next to Angelique, so that his eyes were level with Kowalski's. "Glad to have you back soldier. I mean it," he said softly, pure sincerity etched into his face, nothing more nothing less.

Kowalski cocked a small grin back at his leader, "Thank you sir… that-that means a lot to me," he replied, struggling slightly to find the right words.

Skipper held out a flipper for a high-five, and the strategist obliged weakly, without question. Marlene, who was kneeling opposite from Skipper and Angelique, laid a paw on the egg head's flipper and smiled. "Same from me," she said. "I'm happy that you two are safe." her small smile sweeping across the trio of beams in front of her. Almost instantly, her face darkened and her upturned lips turned into a sorrowful frown, "I wish I could say the same for the rest of our friends…"

An eerie hush rose into the air after the otter had muttered these woeful words, only to be occasionally interrupted by the sound of the ocean's waves softly lapping against the shore and the loud squawk of a random seagull that happened to fly by.

The silence was broken by Angelique, who didn't want to continue to ponder on the possible fact that her teammates may be dead. "Maybe they washed up here," she began, attempting to bring a little optimism into the situation, "After all, they're all capable of fending for themselves and this is the only island within a 3 mile radius, which isn't considered that far."

Kowalski's eyes widened in realization, "Good golly, she's right…" he remarked, the strength slowly returning to his voice and hope twinkling in his eyes. "Skipper, Marlene, have you seen any signs of washed up wreckage lying on the coastline?" inquired the scientist desperately. The avian captain shrugged, "I'm not sure, but if we start searching now, I'm sure we'll find something in time," he replied, his all-too-familiar confident tone returning. "Angelique, you're with Kowalski.

Marlene, you're with me." The three animals smiled at their commanding officer, determination once again filling their hearts. "Commence Operation Scavenger Hunt. Move out!"

* * *

"That ain't right," mumbled Alexander, rubbing the bottom of his chin thoughtfully. "Rico… what happened to all the stuff?" he asked. The demolitions expert shrugged. "I dunno." The water monitor knitted his brow. "Me neither. Maybe when you were still out in the open sea, you accidentally puked up everything?" he suggested, removing his scaly hand from his chin and bringing his arm back down to his side.

Once again, the scarred penguin shrugged. "Looks like we're gonna have to do things the hard way…" muttered the reptile cantankerously as he stalked out of the cavern and into the clearing. "Dammit, this just ain't my day…"

Iris, who was rummaging around for possible supplies in the bushes, accompanied by Sienna, spun around, "Alexander! Honestly, language!" she scolded. The aquatic lizard cocked a brow, displaying his indifference towards the raven, much to her annoyance. The ebony bird just grunted in disapproval before returning to her work. Beside her, the Rhodesian Slasher suppressed a giggled of amusement at the, in her opinion, adorable display between the two individuals. Julien, meanwhile, was munching on a mango that Alexander had given to him so that he would, on his words anyway, "shut the f*** up". Of course the self-proclaimed lemur king was offended, but only for a short while due to his short attention span and limited memory. Now, the sticky orange juices from his meal were dripping down his chin as he happily took another bite.

Suddenly Private, followed by Stacy and Becky, emerged through the undergrowth, back from a small food run. They dumped their findings into the centre of the clearing, in which consisted of a limp and lifeless turtle, some fresh-water fish from a shallow, nearby spring, and wild berries. "That should be enough…" approved the young cadet as he dusted off his flippers, an expression of satisfaction printed on his face. He then turned towards the combat medic sitting at the mouth of the small cave, who was scraping the tips of his claws against the hard rock, sharpening them.

"We brought you that- *shudder* -turtle you wanted, Alexander," said the british, pointing towards the dead shelled reptile sprawled a few feet away from him. Alexander smiled as he strolled over towards the turtle. "Thanks Private," he began as he took hold of the turtle's short tail, "I'm gonna save this for later." Slowly, the water monitor dragged the fresh corpse over to the mouth of the cavern, and threw it inside. "That's pretty much enough for all of us. I don't think we're gonna need to go out aga-"

"-Wait! You're king has run out of mango! And I, as you're king, order you fetch some more!" cut in the ringtail, before shoving the last of his sweet fruit into his mouth. Alexander's right eye twitched in annoyance. "I'll give you some more you-" he threatened advancing rapidly towards Julien, his hands held out in front of him in preparation of strangling the annoying lemur to death. Much to Julien's fortune, Iris swooped in to the rescue. "-Alexander!" she yelled, cutting him off, a wing outstretched in front of the reptile, preventing him from advancing any further. "Just do what he wants. Maybe that extra fruit can get him to stay quiet for a few hours."

"That's not enough," shot back the lizard, a bloodthirsty look in his eye, lemur bloodthirsty to be more specific, self-proclaimed-ringtail-king-blood to be _exact_. "It's better than nothing," replied Iris, a look of wisdom emanating from her now relaxed, yet stern face. For a few seconds Alexander was reluctant, but eventually he gave in. "Fine." he drawled, throwing his burly arms into the air in an irritable fashion, "You want to tag along?" the raven nodded her head vigorously. "Please. I need a break," she replied, desperation brimming her voice. In the combat medic's eyes, it seemed more like the fact that she was begging than replying. "Take us with you!" suddenly shouted the others, sprinting across the clearing towards Iris and Alexander.

* * *

"Hey! Look what I found!" cried out Angelique triumphantly as she held up a black duffel bag. It was completely drenched, strands of brackish seaweed clung to its side like barnacles on an oyster. Kowalski waddled hastily over, taking the bag into his grasp and tearing open the zipper. Inside, he found various syringes, tubes of pills, and all sorts of medical supplies. "It's Alexander's!" he finally proclaimed after a long moment of examination, "I'd recognize this bag anywhere!" he whipped his head to his right to face the she-penguin beside him. "We have to show this to Skipper and Marlene! Our combat medic, and probably the others could be alive! And right here on this island!" Angelique nodded her head in agreement and together they slid off.

Eventually, they found they're leaders, who were still searching, steadily walking along the coastline. They would once in a while lean down to pick up a shell or a rock purely because of interest, and throw it to the side. Upon the sound of the two lieutenant's arrival, Skipper and Marlene looked up from their work and faced the two scientists that stood before them. Nothing needed to be said after the two commanders saw the black duffel bag grasped tightly in Kowalski's flippers.

"Looks like our friends maybe alive after all." Stated Skipper victoriously, flashing a pleased glance at both the avian strategists. "Let's go look for them."

And with that, they set off into the dense jungle. Pushing past overhanging branches and stomping through the rapidly growing undergrowth.

Colorful, vibrant pieces of fruit were visible, dangling precariously by its stem from the various leaves and vines that sprouted from the tall trees that loomed above the four. Insects and creatures of indescribable splendor fluttered and scampered past them, shooting occasional curious glances towards them before scrambling hastily back into the safety of the nearby greenery. The moist, humid air of the jungle clutched onto the animals' fur and feathers like a koala cub clutching its mother, as they ventured deeper and deeper into the tropical forest, once in a while allowing themselves to briefly bask in the magnificent lavishness of the beautiful wildlife. How they wished they could slow down and take in all the sights and sounds of the extravagant jungle, but unfortunately, a task was at hand. And they intended to complete it.

The four soon reached a large grove of mango trees, the juicy fruit that hung from the branches were indeed tempting, but they still remained focused. Thick tree roots poked out of the fertile ground like snakes in a river, making the road rather hazardous and immune to tripping. All of a sudden, voices blared in the distance; and they were very loud.

"Just climb up Stacy!" (Iris)

"No way! It's too high!" (Stacy)

"You've gotta get that those stupid pieces of fruit if you want Julien to shut up for a while!" (Becky)

"Why can't Iris do it?" (Stacy)

"My wing's injured! So don't expect me to be your air support for a while!" (Iris)

"What about Alexander? He's better at climbing than me!" (Stacy)

"I've already done my part, and it's about time you did yours!" (Alexander)

"What a gentleman you are!" (Stacy)

"It's them! It's them!" cried Marlene, her voice high pitched and shrill, "We've gotta get to them! Come on!" the otter got down on all fours and quickly ran ahead in the direction of the various shouts. Angelique leapt onto her belly, and slid ahead of the two males behind her, following closely behind the Team Double X leader. Skipper and Kowalski followed suit. The sounds of their friends' voices lead them into a rather small clearing in the grove.

Iris, Alexander, Becky and Private were all standing at the foot of an extremely tall mango tree, their heads tilted all the way up towards Stacy, who was clinging onto the tree's thick trunk for dear life.

"Guys!" hollered Angelique and Marlene simultaneously. Iris turned her head, and immediately, the edges of her beak curved into a wide grin, "Angelique! Marlene!" Sienna and Becky abruptly cocked their heads to the side, and grinned as well. The five girls cheered as they hugged each other, laughing gleefully as they did so. Private ran towards Skipper, who welcomed him into a hug with open flippers, "I'm so relieved to see you alive sir!" exclaimed the youth, tears of joy welling up in his eyes. Rico flung himself at Kowalski and momentarily crushed the strategist into a tight bear hug. The lieutenant's breathing was cut off for quite a while, but he didn't mind. He was just glad that the team was back together again.

Meanwhile, Stacy had let go of the tree and had accidentally fallen on top of Alexander, much to his annoyance. "You have got to learn how to climb trees…" he muttered, his pupils fixed on the auburn coloured badger sitting on top of him. She sighed before responding, "I know." Quickly, Becky leapt off Alexander and went to join the celebration.

While the reptile was picking himself up, he didn't notice Skipper saunter towards him, his flippers placed behind his back and his usual authoritative look sketched onto his hardened face. Alexander looked up from his little self dusting duty and gave his captain a respectful salute."Good to see that you're alive and well sir," he said. Skipper nodded. "As am I to you soldier," he replied.

Suddenly, a soft growl emanated from one of the shrubs that sat at the edge of the clearing. Its leaves rustled as an ominous scent wafted into the air, which was detected by Sienna thanks to her instincts. "Skipper!" she whispered, pointing a trembling finger towards the shifting vegetation. Everyone shifted their gaze towards the bush and gasped in both dread and shock. The flat head's brow furrowed instantly. "Secure the area!" he ordered in a harsh whisper. The animals instantly obeyed, and leapt into position, posing in their fighting stances. Surrounding the mysterious, moving bush.

Preparing for the possibility of an attack.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Wonder who are what it is hiding in the bushes... stay tuned to find out! Also, I'm planning on starting my own little series after I complete this story, which should debut in around August (Note: It won't be linked with the first two stories I've done). Why am I mentioning this? Because as the premiere story, I'm thinking about making it a sort of singing special, courtesy of the various requests I've been receiving for this, and I need opinions. So please leave your answers in your reviews please, and don't forget your comment ****on this chapter!**


	12. A New Ally

**Here's the 12th chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 12

Marlene could feel the instinctual fight or flight response begin to run rampant in her body, her muscles preparing themselves for whatever she chose and her heart pouring life-giving blood at a quicker rate. She tried to run; yet her legs would not budge. She tried to bare her teeth and look menacing and large, but her face was frozen in terror. All she could do was stay paralyzed and glare into the bush. The vegetation stirred slightly, and the beast within began to shift.

The growling grew louder as a jet-black paw poked out of the bushes, followed by another. Bright amber eyes shone like two balls of fire through the entangling leaves and twigs. Finally, the head of the mysterious creature thrust out of the shrub.

Saliva dripped down the sides of its upturned lips, a low menacing snarl emanating from deep within its throat. It looked wild, and its ribs were jutting from its sides, indicating that it was quite hungry.

The auburn coloured badger standing beside the otter allowed a faint whimper to escape from her lips as she quivered with fear at the sight of the horrific beast. The majority of her panicked mind told her to run for it, but her undying loyalty to her teammates forced her to stand her ground.

"It's a Doberman. A breed of dog well known for its viciousness and aggression," quickly explained Angelique. She turned to Skipper. "Our plan of attack must somehow counter act its strikes since Dobermans normally attack randomly," she said to him, still posed in her fighting stance.

"Right, right," drawled the captain, ignoring the female penguin's advice. "On my mark, everyone throw a fist at it," he ordered, recoiling his right flipper back, clenching it into a tight fist as he did so. Private's eyes widened, "Skipper? Is that really the safest approach?" asked the young cadet, rather worried at the fact that his leader just _had_ to be so oblivious in a situation like this. "Why do we even have to fight it at all? Why not just talk to it?"

Kowalski knitted his brow at the chubby penguin. "Private, do you even know of the dangers that may occur of we do that?" he asked. The youth frowned. "It's worth a shot," he simply replied.

"Might as well try, Kowalski. We can't risk injuring our whole group in a single fight against a _wild_ Doberman," reasoned Angelique, throwing a stern look at him as she did so. The egghead thought scornfully of the Private's suggestion, but there really was no point in arguing with the sassy she-penguin standing next to him. So he reluctantly gave in. "Oh, all right..." he grunted. "But Private has to do it since reconcilement is what he's strongest at."

The chubby penguin's eyes filled with petrifying fear for several moments, but a heartbeat later, a twinkle of determination took its place. Boldly, the small penguin waddled towards the dog, which now had its lips curled all the way back, revealing rows of yellow, stained, jagged teeth. He forced a smile, yet terror was mounting rapidly inside him and he feared that his bladder would not hold out. "Um...hello there..." Private whispered, his voice wavering.

As Private made his way towards the Doberman, it tensed its haunches almost immediately as soon as it caught sight of the young avian take a step forward. The dog barked loudly, sending drops of saliva flying in all directions, hitting the fertile earth with a splat. Private contorted his face in disgust before halting to a stop several feet away from the dog, its chest and sides heaving with breaths of apprehension as a hint of a somewhat uneasy look overtook its eyes that were once filled with such an uncongenial nature.

Private opened his bill and tried to speak, but all that came out were not words, but breathless squeals. He took a deep breath and wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead, then once again tried to make words come out of his beak. "H-Hello there..." he managed to choke out, sounding almost like a baby attempting its first word. "P-Please. We- we don't want any trouble. We j-just want t-to get b-back home," he stammered.

The Doberman glowered down at the little penguin as suspicion clouded its hardened face. It twitched its ears doubtfully as it slowly padded closer towards the trembling tuxedo bird.

The dog stopped but a mere inch away from Private; something the British avian had anticipated but had hoped for not to happen, and bent down so that his head was level with his. Cautiously, it leaned forward and sniffed the young cadet, causing the chubby penguin's breaths to quicken in pace.

The Doberman narrowed its eyes at the youth and, much to everyone's surprise; spoke. "Who are you?" it asked, a rich baritone decorating its voice accompanied by an icy lining of mistrust. "P-Private," answered the little penguin facing the large canine with his pacific blue eyes. "And these are my teammates." He gestured towards the animals behind him, who had already relaxed and were staring wide eyed at the huge dog. "We come from the Central Park Zoo in Manhattan."

The dog, who had proven himself equal in communication abilities, pushed his snout closer towards the cadet's face. "What are you doing on _my_ island?" he interrogated, skepticism flooding his voice.

A lump had formed in Private's throat, but he quickly forced it back down. "A few days ago, we washed up here when our boat got shipwrecked out at sea in a storm." Private paused for a minute, glancing at the short-haired dog for any signs of doubt or intentions of attacking; and much to his relief, saw nothing but a bright glimmer of curiosity shining in his eyes, so he continued. "When we arrived on this island we got separated and ever since then, we've been searching for each other. Now that we're back together again, we're just trying to survive while thinking of a way to get home."

By the time Private had finished his story, the Doberman's face had contorted into a look of thoughtfulness and he had settled himself down into a sitting position, resting on his haunches with his front paws placed neatly in front of him. "So you're castaways, huh?" he asked, sweeping his gaze across the small group of faces that stared back at him. The large dog swiped his tongue quickly over his nose as he continued to ponder on about the group of ocean-castoffs, throwing an occasional glance to the side. Finally, after for what seemed like an hour, a small smile spread upon the canine's as he steadily rose to his paws. Only then did the commandos manage to get a full view of him.

The Doberman seemed quite fit, toned muscles could be seen bulging out from underneath his short, sleek, ebony pelt. A rather deep pink coloured scar stretched across his cheek down to the end of his snout, which was tinctured with pale brown fur. His eyes were amber in colour, unusual in Alexander's, Angelique's and Kowalski's perspective, but somewhat interesting and unique in others. One of his ears was badly torn, probably gained in a natural accident or battle of some sort.

That was what the commandos thought anyway.

"Well Private, my name is Alpha, and please excuse the rude introduction. I tend to be the kind of dog who's rather protective of his territory," apologized the Doberman named Alpha, a slight chuckle wavering through his voice.

Private sighed deeply as relief washed over his body, slowing down his heartbeat immensely and relaxing his tense muscles. "Well... nice to meet you Alpha," he replied, friendliness entering his voice as well.

"Seems to me like you could use a tour guide, and I'd be happy to volunteer." Remarked Alpha, tipping his head solicitously towards the animals. Angelique nodded, "Thank you… uh, Alpha. We could surely use the help." She said. Skipper whipped his head around to face the she-penguin, throwing her a stern look as he did so. "Angelique. May I have a word with you for a second?" He asked, shock brimming his voice and his face printed with an unreadable expression.

The female strategist rolled her eyes as she waddled over to him. "What is it?" she asked in a harsh whisper, glaring at the captain beside her. Skipper shook his head in disapproval. "Just how low are you? Accepting help from the enemy?"

Angelique widened her eyes in shock, her beak agape in surprise and disbelief. "Excuse me?" she blurted softly, narrowing her eyes viciously at the flat head. The scientist pinched the bridge of her beak as she let out an aggravated sigh. "Skipper… One, he's not an enemy. Two, we could use the help if we're going to survive and think of a way home. Three, could you stop being so paranoid?" she had almost yelled the last bit, due to the fact she was so furious with her captain for turning away help when they needed it most.

Skipper cocked a brow. "Angelique. You know this is insubordination, you could get court martialed for this," he warned, placing his flippers on his hips as a distempered scowl appeared on his stern face. The violet eyed avian returned the angry stare. "Don't even go there, Skipper," she demanded sternly, holding up a flipper to his face, "Also, I'm not one to judge, but could you just push your stubborn pride aside and allow someone to _help_ you for once in your life?" and with that, Angelique stomped away, returning to her place beside Kowalski. The lead penguin grunted indifferently, as he crossed his flippers across his feathered chest.

Marlene frowned and came in for the rescue. She quickly ran to the commander's side and whispered, "Just do it Skipper. Please? For me?" she fluttered her eyelashes at the penguin beside her.

The captain sighed in defeat. "Alright Marlene," he replied gently. "For you; but only you. Since you're considered privileged in my book." With a smile and a final nod towards the aquatic mammal, Skipper turned towards Alpha, who currently had his face twisted into a look of puzzlement. "What just happened?" he asked, clearly confused. The flat head waved a flipper in dismissal. "Ah, it's nothing to worry about, I assure you," he began. "Anyway, we gladly accept your help."

Alpha smiled, "Alright then. Follow me." He turned and once again entered the shrub, the animals followed closely behind him.

* * *

"This place is amazing, Alpha!" exclaimed Private, his pacific blue eyes shining with awe.

The animals were currently standing atop a medium sized cliff, staring at a clear water lake surrounded by a bordering rock wall. A waterfall fell over the edge of this small lake, making the view from the cliff seem all the sweeter.

The water in the lake looked like the clearest thing in the world. Private could see through it as if it were a piece of glass. The water slid down the rock walls smoothly as it fell, having no problems with the giant drop. The sleek sapphire descent was simply staggering to observe. Each drop of water fell with its own clarity, making a vast splash upon the level surface below. The giant spray at the bottom looked as if it was reaching up towards the sky. Never before had the animals seen anything as magnificent as this scene.

The drop downward was drenching, dripping, and dousing to those daring enough to look at it. The onslaught of water was like a cascade of never-ending rain. Though, it seemed a bit overwhelming, the view was one of the most breathtaking things that the commandos had ever seen. Every rock protruding out made the water seem as if it were to grasp for something falling out of the sky. The splashes emerging out of the water looked like steam rising off the ground on a cold day.

The clouds covered the clean cobalt color soaking the sky like small puffs of cotton in a pool of watercolours, making the picture that much better than Private thought it was before. Every glimpse of the sky was like a pathway to another land in the way that it shone through. It glowed with an amazingly bright light that couldn't be compared to anything else.

It was as if the simplest thing in the world had become the most superb stroke on a painting.

"I know it is." Replied the Doberman smugly, "That's why this was the first place I wanted to show you." Alexander grinned, "Well, you sure made the right choice." he said. Rico suddenly shoved the water monitor to the side, "Outta my way!" he grunted and with a huge leap, jumped off the cliff.

"Cannonball!"

Alexander's eyes widened as a malevolent grin spread across his face, "Hey! Rico wait up!" he yelled and jumped in after the scarred penguin. The animals atop the cliff stared down the 15-meter drop, "Are you supposed to do that?" nervously asked Kowalski, pointing down. Alpha patted his back, "Yep. Want to have a go?" he cocked his head towards the cliff edge. The egghead smiled sheepishly as he slowly backed away from the precarious edge, "N-no thanks. I'm fine..." Skipper rolled his eyes, "Man up soldier!" he ordered and pushed him over the edge.

The lieutenant's high-pitched scream echoed off the walls of the lake's rock boundaries, ending abruptly as he entered the water with a loud splash. "Kowalski!" screamed Angelique, waddling to the cliff's fringe and peering down into the lake. For a moment, there was nothing, but all of a sudden, Kowalski broke through the lake's surface gasping for air.

"Kowalski! Are you alright?" asked Angelique, cupping her flippers over her beak and projecting her voice down the cliff face. "I'm fine! You must try this! The water's great!" he called back.

Angelique grinned and jumped in after him, and was soon followed by the others.

"This is only stop number one! Wait till I take you to the volcano!" yelled Alpha over the loud crashing of the waterfall. Angelique swam over to him, "There's a volcano here? Are you sure it's safe?" she asked, anxiety brimming her voice. Alpha chuckled, "Don't worry... it hasn't been active for years. For now, just enjoy the water." he reassured before paddling back to shore. "Hey! Anyone want another try at the jump?"

The others followed suit except Marlene, who was pulling herself up onto a rock resting on the edge of the lake. Skipper swam up to it, seating himself next to her, "Well, Marlene. Looks like things have made a turn for the better." He commented, gazing up at the sky. The hazel eyed otter nodded, "They sure have Skipper." She replied, following his stare. The captain chuckled,

"For what it's worth. I'd say this really did become a great vacation."

* * *

**Well... things really _are _starting to take a turn for the better... but is it too good to be true? Stay tuned! But in the meantime; REVIEW!**


	13. Conversing and Discussion

**Here's Chapter 13! Enjoy.**

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Chapter 13

"-and this is where I live."

Alpha had just finished the tour of the island and was drawing it to a close with one last stop- his humble abode. It was actually more complex and much larger than they had imagined, yet so similar to the damp, musky den they were staying in:

The cave's entrance was draped with a curtain made up of a thick layer of ferns; obviously something that had taken an awfully long time to complete, as well as a great deal of patience.

"This curtain of ferns protects my cave from rain and wind, keeping my den dry and warm." He explained, shouldering his way past the thick blinds as he entered his home. The animals tagged closely behind the large Doberman, their eyes wide with curiosity.

The stone grotto was rather dim, only to be slightly lighted by the small, multicolored rays of twilight that had squeezed their way through the small openings of the curtain covering the entrance. A small pile of wood surrounded by a circle of stones lay in the centre of the cave; the animals guessed that it was a campfire.

An old slightly dented pot, accompanied by a broken ladle, rested beside it; evidently used by Alpha to cook, a numerous amount of bowls sat beside the implements.

Various hand woven baskets were neatly lined along either side of the cave, each one consisting of something different. The baskets on the right side contained a numerous number of wild berries and fruit, as well as dried fish and rabbit (it was dead of course), on the left, were a large number of herbs and medicines.

A preferably roomy, and rather cozy looking nest made of twigs sat in the den's corner, its sides lined with soft dry moss. The scent of dead leaves and bark hit the roof of Sienna's mouth, sending soothing tingles of tepidness down her spine. She purred silently in comfort, the scent of the musky nest reminded her a lot of her favourite season- autumn.

The wildcat soon found herself subconsciously drifting away from the group and sticking her head out the curtains that covered the cave's mouth.

The sun had set long ago, and the recognizable hues of dusk had already begun their rapid stretch along the sky. She frowned as a drop of cold rain fell onto her nose, followed by a whole shower and a loud boom of thunder. Sienna recoiled her head back into shelter; worry edged her voice as she spoke. "I don't think we'll be able to return to camp now that a storm's on its way." She glanced behind her at Alpha, who had already lit up a fire, sending inviting rays of heat and light to every corner of the cave. "It's alright." he replied, "You can just stay here for the night."

Marlene nodded in gratitude, "Thank you for the generous offer, but will you be able to handle us being here?" she asked timidly, wringing her paws nervously as her hazel eyes sparkled with concern. The shorthaired dog waved his paw dismissively, "Nonsense, of course you're welcome here. Make yourself comfortable, there's plenty of room for everyone and enough grub to last me the rest of my life." he replied warmly, a friendly smile stretched across his scarred muzzle. The commandos grinned back and quickly settled themselves around the crackling fire, its orange and amber flames flicking rapidly, casting the animals' shadows along the rounded walls of the stone grotto.

"So, Alpha. How'd you get here?" asked Angelique, sort of desperate to start a conversation. "Why, same as you of course. I washed up here," replied the large dog, steadily sweeping his gaze across the baskets of food. "I was out with my owner in a cargo plane, but we ran out of gas and crash landed into the ocean." he paused for several moments as he picked up a bunch of berries in his mouth and tossed them into the pot. "After I crash landed I gathered as many supplies as I could and swam for the nearest island, which happened to be this one." the Doberman bit onto the pot's handle and placed it gently over the fire, "This pot and ladle are two examples of the things that came from the plane." he commented, grabbing the disfigured ladle and placing it inside the metal cooking container.

"How long have you been here?" asked Alexander, leaning back slightly, as he used his arms for support. " 'Cause it looks to me like you've been here for quite a while." everyone stared expectantly at the dog gathering more berries in the corner. He quickly padded back towards the fire and tossed the sweet fruits into the pot before he answered. "Well... I would say around... four... five years..."

"Wow, that long?" Marlene gasped. The Doberman nodded, then glanced over at the sky that had been stained deep blue, its firefly like stars decorating the horizon. He sighed, then looked back at his guests. "Yes, that long. But, it isn't  
as bad as you think. The weather is nice most of the time, the food is great, and I am free to do as I please." He paused as he lowered himself to his haunches and gently rested his head on his front paws, "I do miss my home though, back in my master's house with him, me nestled under his arm..." his voice sounded thick, like creamy butter as the sentence hissed to a stop. "Excuse me."

He stood back up and quickly bent his head down to pick up some more of the colorful fruit in front of him to toss into the dented pot.

His ears pricked up when the soft rumble, that was the collage of murmurs from the team's intellectuals, was growing. They sat farther inside the den with scrunched, pensive expressions on their faces, sharing the same thoughts, feeling the same emotions. "Well, what if we build a boat and sail back to New York?" Kowalski suggested, his eyes staring off into the distance as he placed rubbed the bottom of his tangerine beak. Alexander tossed a glance in his direction, his eyebrow arched in a way as though he wanted to laugh, a spiteful little laugh.

"And risk wrecking again? Seriously?" he growled.

Kowalski frowned, "It's worth a shot!" he argued.

Angelique rubbed her forehead and sighed, "Stop arguing. Just stop. And, Kowalski's right, it's not like we have any other options."

Alexander rolled his dark brown rubbing the back of his scaly neck. "What about the-"

"-Hey! Aren't you people hungry?" Skipper suddenly interrupted from across the cave. The three animals broke from their tedious muse, their fidgeting easing to a complete stop as they all turned their heads to the commander. "No thanks." they all chimed at once with dreary dispositions fresh on their tired faces.

"Alright, but you don't know what you're missing!" Marlene added. Alpha beamed, then thanked the friendly mammal.

The trio of intellectuals turned from the group, and began to ponder once more.

Alexander let his mind play in the wake of seemingly frivolous vagaries, for although ironic, they usually lead to a wonderful epitome.

He closed his eyes a moment and just listened to the world around him, feeling one with the sounds of the metal pot being scraped by spoons, the smell of the, exquisite, exotic oasis, the warm breeze floating through the low hanging ferns at  
the caves mouth.

His universe was now sitting on a pinprick of a cognitive experience, poised perfectly and breath catching. Yet, he felt like a child toddling about close to an ocean, an ocean that a mere surmise will be as far as even with a million years of study will never be enough truly understand the grace and the majesty of it. Combing through it with the best of his abilities, he stumbled upon a brilliant plan.

"What if we build a radio, and contact my old team?"

Kowalski and Angelique glanced up at him and pondered a moment.

"That could actually work… we just need some supplies to build it." Kowalski replied, his voice brimming with excitement. Angelique smiled, feeling his warm optimism mix with her own. She wanted to start now, her flippers itching to begin the recently proclaimed project. Yet, she knew it was getting late, and it would be quite illogical to stay up all night, considering that the day offered a better chance for finding the various metals and other supplies needed.

"Where does one find the equipment for a radio?" She wondered to herself. She knew the answer; who was she kidding? But it was one that scared the life out of her and she wished to avoid it at all costs.

The cargo plane.

The plane at the bottom of the shark infested ocean, the one that might still have several pieces of salvageable equipment in it.

Angelique whipped her head to face the large dog seated two meters away from her, "Alpha, do you remember exactly where the cargo plane is?" she asked, contorting her face in such a way that was not too demanding nor too harsh.

The Doberman glanced at his paws and tried recalling, searching his fuzzy memory for some sort of useful information. "Yes...yes I think I do. It's not too far from here, just a few yards off the cost." he replied, placing a thoughtful paw underneath his chin.

"Excellent!" cried the female scientist, who then jumped to her feet. "I think we should figure out the details tomorrow, but it looks as though those with the lung capacity for it will search the plane for any materials." She began, facing the two other intellectuals who were also getting up. "However, it's getting late, and we all had a long day, and by the looks of it, tomorrow will be even longer."

Angelique walked towards Marlene seating herself down beside her. The otter had just finished her meal and had placed the small plate, which happened to be a smooth piece of wood, in a pile. Alpha, who had also finished his food, got to his feet and swiped a kind look over the group that was ending their meal as well. "The beds provided will not be much, so some of you will have to share, or some will have to go without. My sincerest apologies." He trod towards a small curtain of dense greenery that hung in one corner of the cave, and stuck his head in between the drapes. Shortly after, he reappeared with a mouthful of moss. The short-haired dog repeated this process until there was a large pile of the soft greenery, hugging the pale grey wall.

As if on cue, the guests begun to chat amongst themselves about who will bunk with whom, then together they took some moss and arranged beds for themselves.

Alpha padded slowly to his nest in the corner, his paws shuffling along the hard ground of the cave as fatigue slowly sank into his limbs. Once he made it to his moss roost, almost immediately, he collapsed onto its soft bedding and curled himself into a ball, lowering his head onto his front paws. "Does anybody need anything?" he asked suddenly, his voice sounding weaker from sleepiness. Everybody replied with a nope, or a no thank you, simultaneously shooting glares at Julian to warn him not to ask for anything.

The self-proclaimed lemur king rolled his eyes indifferently, as he slowly laid himself down in his makeshift bed, the only one that had the pleasure of not having to share due to its small size.

Skipper, who was lying beside Marlene, a choice nobody dared to question, grumbled something low under his breath as he squeezed his pacific blue eyes shut. Marlene had managed to catch a few phrases from the penguin next to her; something about him not trusting the friendly dog's help or kindness, yet she brushed it off as his usual paranoia acting up. The sea otter sighed, then let her eyelids comply with gravity.

* * *

**I just wanted to notify everyone that I have changed my mind on the premiere story for my upcoming series; that it's not going to be a singing special. But if you would all like at least ONE song sung in the premiere story, please notify me by PM. Until next time, REVIEW!**


	14. Search

**Here's the 14th chapter. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 14

The amber and golden rays of dawn had long vanished from sight, allowing the radiant blue hues of late morning to take its place, gracing the sky with its tranquil tint. The air was warm and musky, much too stuffy in the animal stowaways' opinion, accompanied by the occasional gust of salty wind that the ocean's waves provided- much to their relief.

Angelique closed her eyes as she silently breathed in the sea's salty aroma. A small wave lapped against the shore, sending off a gentle breeze in the female penguin's direction, ruffling her bang as it brushed softly against her cheek. The sand crumbled slowly beneath her as she took a step forward, its delicate structure collapsing, a small aperture forming beneath her foot. Grains of the granular substance flowed rapidly from the ditch's edges, quickly filling it back up. The female scientist shook off the small, fine, golden rocks and quickly waddled in the direction of the coastline, followed closely behind by Alexander and Kowalski.

"Are you sure about this Angelique?" inquired the strategist next to her, his voice etched with worry and concern. The violet eyed avian sighed as she shook her head slightly, "To be honest- no. No I'm not," she finally confessed after a few moments of aggravating silence. "but if it means saving and getting us back home, then I'm positive." Angelique lifted her head as she fixed her gaze on the wide body of water in front of her and her fellow intellectuals, determination steadily clouding her eyes and courage coursing through her veins.

Without another word, the female avian leapt onto her belly and slid into the grasp of the waves that lapped against the shore. Slowly, she began to kick, using the ocean's current to help herself advance further away from the beach. Kowalski and Alexander swiftly bounded into the sea, quickly wading after her through the cool brackish water.

After several minutes, the trio had reached open water. Angelique stopped swimming, floating in place as she patiently waited for Alexander and Kowalski to catch up. "Alright." She panted, her chest and sides heaving as a result of the vigorous swim, "The cargo plane wreck should be around here somewhere on the ocean floor. So take a deep breath and prepare to dive." Kowalski nodded, "Affirmative. If my calculations are correct, I estimate the plane wreck to be within an average of at least a twenty-five kilometer radius from our current location. Give or take." Alexander furrowed his brow in frustration, "Yeah, yeah…" drawled Alexander, rolling his eyes, clearly indifferent to the frowns he was receiving from the two tuxedo birds. "Let's just keep a sharp eye out for sharks, okay?"

Angelique arched a brow, "Of course." She replied sarcastically, then took in a lungful of air, disappearing below the surface of the water. Kowalski groaned, "You think we weren't thinking that?" he asked, but before he could allow the water monitor to make a snippy comeback, he plunged his head into the water. Alexander growled softly as he ground his teeth in irritation, and reluctantly followed suit.

* * *

"So where are you taking us Marley?" inquired Iris as she, Marlene and the rest of the team of girls trekked through the tropical forest, shoving leaves out of there way, and stomping over towering obstructive greenery that stood in their path. Skipper, Private and Rico were currently accompanying Alpha for a herb restock, unable to join the all-girl fighting force, while Julien remained inside the Doberman's den with plenty of mangos to keep him occupied while the other, more sane and possessive-of-higher-intelligence animals went out.

The hazel-eyed otter at the front quickly glanced at the others over her shoulder, a wide smile stretched across her face. "It's just a little something Alpha told me about," she began, pausing for a moment as she nimbly hurdled over a fallen tree trunk, "I give the full guarantee that you'll all love it." She reassured, excitement ringing clearly from her voice; like the tinkle of a little bell.

Iris turned to Sienna, throwing her a puzzled look as she did so; but the wild cat shrugged. "Don't look at me. I don't know anything about what she's up to." She simply replied, venturing forward as she strolled past the ebony bird. "By the way, how's your wing?"

The raven lifted up her feathered appendage, flapping it gently in the air; gently testing it's condition. "It's better, still feels a little sore, but better." She responded, folding it slowly back to her side and gingerly massaging the muscles within. Sienna smiled, "Great to hear." She commended, "Now let's catch up with the others." Almost immediately, the wildcat dropped down on all fours and sped off, leaving the raven in the dust- literally. Iris shielded her eyes from the spew of fine dirt before dawdling after her, not daring to use her wing in vigorous activity.

After several minutes, Iris had caught up with the others, who were currently standing before a small wall of ferns. Marlene stood next to it; her paw laid gingerly on the right most side of the green enclosure.

The Asian otter beamed, "Prepare yourselves for girl paradise." She announced, her hazel eyes sparkling. And with those final words, she thrust the leaves to the side, revealing a small spring, bubbling at the base of a huge tree. Musky steam rose from the surface of the small pool as a rather dewy sensation drifted through the air, sending the warm, recognizable tingles of relaxation down each and everyone's spine.

"What did I tell you? It's a Girls' Paradise." Proclaimed the Double X leader, strolling out towards the warm plash, "Take a dip girls. Alpha says these natural island springs are amazing."

The females exchanged smiles as they walked towards the small pool, each of them stepping gingerly into its warm water.

Sienna was the first to speak. "This is… wow…" she commented, trailing off as she felt her eyelids droop slightly and an echoing purr rumble deep within her chest. She adjusted herself into a more comfortable position, as she allowed her eyes to close completely and sighed, feeling the spring's heat seep into her fur and sore muscles.

"It's like a day at the spa!" exclaimed Becky, her eyes widening as a toothy grin graced her whiskered snout. Stacy cocked a brow at her hyperactive sister, "Becky. You've never been to a spa. None of us have." She noted, throwing her sister an unreadable expression. The blonde badger suddenly recoiled in realization, "Oh." She simply muttered, but her smile quickly reappeared, "Still. This is totally amazing!" she once again exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air.

Stacy chuckled softly at her sister's lively nature, before sinking deeper into the warmth of the clear-water pool.

"I still can't believe Angelique isn't here to join us. She would really love this." mentioned Iris, a frown forming along the sides of her beak. Marlene placed a paw against her cheek as she leaned against the edge of the spring, the bright sparkle in her eyes decreasing rapidly into nothing but a mere glint. "Yeah…" she muttered, "We did try to invite her." A hint of regret tainting her voice. Stacy nodded, "Maybe we did something wrong?" she suggested, shrugging her shoulders as her ears twitched in an inquisitive manner. Sienna threw several comforting glances across the group of rueful faces, "Don't feel too guilty about it girls. If the lady feels that its her obligation to set things right, then let her. It isn't our responsibility to control her decisions; its hers." She lectured, soft wisdom carved into her face.

Marlene nodded, silently concurring with the Rhodesian Slasher sitting beside her. "But still," she admitted, "It was sort of selfish of us to take off when she could have needed our help." The females around her nodded in agreement.

"Well I say the next time she's in need of a paw-" (Stacy)

"-And wing." (Iris)

Stacy smiled, "-or two, we'll be the ones to lend her some." She finished. Becky cheered triumphantly, "Woohoo! Let's hear it for teamwork!" she shouted, raising her paw for a group high five; which the others happily accepted.

* * *

Angelique's eyes skimmed the ocean around her as she slowly swam through its briny waters, with Kowalski and Alexander not far off, scanning their own perimeter. The ocean was surprisingly empty. Not a single fish or sea creature was visible within a mile, allowing Angelique to be engulfed within an eerie silence. Streams of sunshine shined along the water's surface, breaking through its outer exterior as it plummeted diagonally down the ocean. To Angelique, it looked almost like a lightshow, but she was much too busy searching for the cargo plane wreck to stop and admire its beauty. The female penguin could suddenly feel her lungs contract; her oxygen was running out.

She immediately swam for the surface, breaking through it as she gasped for air. Kowalski and Alexander came up soon after. "Angelique, we've been at this for hours." Complained Kowalski, his body slouched in the water with fatigue, "The cargo plane wreck is no-where to be found." His fellow strategist shook her head at him, a hardened look on her tired face, "We have to keep searching! It has to be around here somewhere." She urged. Both Alexander and Kowalski collectively groaned. "Fine. One more search, but after then, I'm heading back for the island." Grumbled Alexander. He gulped in a generous amount of oxygen them plunged into the water once more, the penguins following suit. The trio paddled deeper into the ocean, plunging deeper into the darkness.

Kowalski squinted his pacific blue eyes as he tried hard to navigate his way through the dimness of the murky ocean depths, occasionally spotting several shadowy shapes shift rapidly past him; obviously fish or sea creatures of some kind. Though his vision was limited, he could still feel the presence of Angelique and Alexander, swimming close by him.

An eerie silence hung in the air as the intellectuals made their way through the gloom; the only thing that could be heard was the sound of their rapidly beating hearts.

Then he saw it.

The beaten, rusted, and deformed figure of the cargo plane wreck.

If Kowalski could, he would have shrieked. Instead, he reached out for Angelique's shoulder and shook it, thus gaining her attention. Desperately, he pointed towards the plane, his eyes wide with excitement. Angelique obviously understood, swiveling her head in the direction his flipper was pointing. She nodded vigorously, quickly doing the same to Alexander. The water monitor dipped his head in understanding, and together they swam towards the wreck.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Remember what to do until the next update- REVIEW!**


	15. Trouble Off The Port Bow

**Here's the 15th chapter and it's a long, action packed one too. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 15

Kowalski's pacific blue eyes slowly swept across the tarnished, battered aircraft that lay before him and his fellow intellectuals as they steadily made their way towards it. The avian scientist flinched slightly as his tail feathers began to twitch uncontrollably, icy anticipation clutching at his beating heart. Nerve-racking sensations tingled throughout his body as the sound of blood pounded briskly through his ears and head (earholes?)- In result giving him a in-some-measure uncomfortable migraine.

Angelique and Alexander swam closely beside him, just as eager and equally as desperate as he was to get to the plane wreck.

If truth be told, the egghead was frankly rather doubtful about their chances of actually managing to find anything useful in the ruins of the old freighter. Given that he could, he would have told Angelique that at the very beginning- but he couldn't.

He just couldn't.

He simply could not find it in his heart to crush the female avian's determined spirit, which in his mind, would be the last thing he ever wanted to do.

Silently, the strategist shifted his head an inch towards his right, managing to catch a quick glimpse of the pre-mentioned female. A small grin curled at the side of his beak as he saw the all-too-familiar glint of undying courage shine brightly within the she-penguin's violet eyes. Despite their differences, Kowalski couldn't help but admire her bravery and stubborn-headedness; it was because of that did they manage to make it to the island in the first place. Though her persistence sometimes would cause conflict among the commandos, he was still proud to call her his teammate, and was sure that he wasn't the only one in the unit who thought that.

His thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly found himself entering the the old cargo plane wreck. The others were already inside, wading amongst piles of old crates loaded with exotic, but long spoiled goods. Barnacles could be seen growing along the walls of the beaten up aircraft, resting peacefully amongst the comforting, greenish clumps of fungi that had also claimed the sunken freighter as their home.

Several minutes had passed, and much to the trio's misfortune; found nothing useful. Thus leaving one area of the wreck unchecked- the control room.

Angelique was first to enter; forcefully breaking down the door to the previously mentioned room with a swift kick to it's rusted hinges.

Blood was splattered across the tattered remains of what used to be the pilot and co-pilot seats, as well as the broken control panel laid out in front. The female scientist grimaced slightly at the sight of the crimson dots sprayed across the strewn pieces of cloth dangling from the leather chairs; but brushed the uncomfortable feeling aside as she quickly began her pursuit.

Ever so carefully, the female strategist started her search by looking in the various compartments provided in the considerably spaced room. Shortly moving on to the rest of the area.

After the first few minutes, Angelique was starting to doubt whether she would actually find anything useful, but she forced herself to go on, which paid off dearly, as she had managed to find two transistors, shoved down the side of the co-pilot seat (heaven knows why). She quickly handed the two fragile devices over to Kowalski, who had conveniently waded into the room some minutes after she had found the pair of conductor devices.

Kowalski gave the violet-eyed penguin a rewarding pat on the back, then pointed towards the control panel in front. His face written with both triumph and jubilance. She followed his gaze, and in but mere seconds, found the cause of his excitement- a strangely well-preserved radio still trapped within the dashboard.

Without hesitation, Angelique grabbed hold of the small machine's dented edges and pulled, but it didn't even budge. Kowalski soon came to her aid but even the two of them couldn't jerk the device out.

Alexander then swam into the room, drawn to the noise of groaning metal, hence catching sight of the two penguins attempting to yank out their desired object. The combat medic rolled his eyes at the sight of the pathetic game of tug of war, and swam over. He rudely shoved the tuxedo birds out of the way and seized the radio. With a single jerk of his arms and grit of his teeth, the control panel's receiver was free.

A smug grin was slowly carved into his handsome face as he handed the small radio over to Angelique, who clearly was upset with him for his impoliteness, but let it slide past, and briskly headed out the door.

Kowalski threw Alexander an angry glare and shook his head in disbelief for his ungentlemanly behavior before going after the female avian, leaving the lizard to exit the room last.

Eventually, the intellectuals made their way out of the dented cargo plane, pleased with their succesful search in the old aircraft- and just in time too, for they were starting to run out of oxygen. With the scavanged supplies tucked neatly underneath their flipper/arm, the trio began their rapid swim to the surface.

Alexander was first to thrust his head through the ocean's exterior, followed by Angelique and Kowalski shortly after.

They're chest and sides were heaving heavily as they greedily gasped for oxygen and desperately fought against the overwhelming feeling of faint that was drilling its way into their heads.

"Mission accomplished people." proclaimed Alexander proudly, his voice wavering slightly from shortage of breath. Kowalski nodded in agreement, "I concur. Now let's head back to the island before any sharks catch us out in open water like this." urged the scientist.

Angelique shook her head as a look of fear overtook her gentle features, "I think that may be too late..." she trailed off quietly, her pupils slowly contracting as her lower jaw hung open slightly, quivering in mid-air. Kowalski arched a brow, obviously bewildered by the female avian's unusual statement. "Angelique? What in the world are you ta- _Good golly wally! Shark attack!_" he screamed, "_Swim for your lives!_"

Alexander immediately slapped the bird across the cheek, causing the avian physicist to yelp in pain and clutch his throbbing cheek.

"Get a grip!" ordered the water monitor, "We've got to stand our ground and fight back! I've always wanted to grapple hand to fin with a Great White anyway!" he argued, humor edging his voice in an attempt to brighten the situation. "We just have to work together."

"Oh sure," Kowalski quipped sarcastically, letting go of his cheek slowly as the pain began to subside, "just add "Avoid Their Bone Crushing Jaws of Doom" to the 'To Do List' and we're sure to stay alive."

Alexander let out a low, frustrated growl, and was about to give the egg head a piece of his mind, but fortunately, Angelique swooped in. "He's right Kowalski." she began quickly as she cautiously eyed the sharks that had begun to circle around them, "we'll never be able to swim back to the island fast enough. We have to fight back."

Kowalski hesitated at first, dubious of their chances of survival, but once he caught sight of the desperateness reflecting in the she-penguin's eyes- his mind was made up.

But just as he was about to voice his decision, one of the surrounding sharks swiftly lunged out of the water towards them.

Quick as a flash, the intellectuals dodged the vicious predator just in time. Angelique suddenly forced herself at it, briskly grabbing a hold of its dorsal fin, clutching onto it for dear life as she wrestled with the ferocious beast. "Handle the other two!" she yelled over the sounds of the loud splashes of water, before momentarily disappearing beneath the ocean surface, her opponent still growling with rage.

The males immediately leapt into action.

Alexander, using his saber like claws, raked the shark that lunged towards him from his right, making it roar in agony as blood rapidly began to flow from the long gash, staining the clear water beneath it to a bright crimson red. With a loud cry, the water monitor jumped on top of the carnivorous fish, embedding his saber like claws deep into its tough flesh. He was soon gone from sight as the savage creature dove back into the safety of the ocean, still clinging firmly onto its back.

Kowalski, imitating Angelique's actions before, seized the dorsal fin of the last of the sharks, shrieking like a banshee as the Great White thrashed restlessly beneath him. It was like riding a bull at the rodeo, only the situation he was currently in was a matter of life or death.

With his panic levels still kicked into high gear, the strategist rapidly began to deliver random punches to the carnivore's side with his left flipper, while his right was firmly clutched onto its dorsal fin. But no matter how hard he tried, the predator refused to "heel". The lieutenant's mind was far too scrambled and fuzzy to think of a rational plan, so he simply did what any bird would do- he plunged the tip of his beak into his attacker's skin.

The vicious beast gave off a loud howl that bounced off the water's surface like a skimming stone as its scarred body crashed into the water. Kowalski then yanked his bill out, grimacing in disgust at the crimson liquid dripping from its tip. He quickly swiped a flipper over his slightly blood-stained neb, before once again gripping onto the creature's curved abaxial appendage.

Meanwhile, Angelique had managed to beat her shark into

unconsciousness, and was currently pushing its body farther away from the group. She was exhausted from her tussle with the ferocious predator, but dared not let her guard down- just in case.

With a gentle and final shove, the female avian pushed the out cold and beaten predator further out into open water. She turned, and eyed Kowalski, who definitely seemed to be having trouble fighting his violent opponent. Quickly, she swam through the water towards him, stopping but several feet away from the fracas between the lieutenant and the Great White.

"Kowalski! Quick! Flip your shark over and punch the tip of its nose!" she yelled to him over the loud swashes of water. Kowalski let out a high pitched shriek before shouting back, "You mean the part just above its mouth filled with rows of dagger shaped teeth?" Angelique frowned at his sarcasm, "Just trust me!" she urged.

The scientist groaned, as much as he didn't want to get too close to the shark's mouth, he really had no choice. "Strategy don't fail me now..." he mumbled silently to himself as he squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for the possible, yet difficult task that lay ahead of him.

Skillfully, the egghead jumped off the aquatic beast, landing in the water a few feet away from it. He placed both flippers in his beak and blew loudly, forcing out a high pitched whistle, thus gaining the shark's attention.

"Hey, ugly!" shouted the tall avian in a blaring, obnoxious tone. "Think you're so tough, huh?" he paused as the shark turned to face him, its eyes shining with a somewhat curious look, "Try and take me on you for size you beady eyed bozo!".

The predator before him growled angrily; the avian's taunt had obviously drilled down deep enough.

Immediately, the battle scarred beast charged towards Kowalski, its head disappearing into the water, and its dorsal fin slicing through the surface with ease.

Kowalski forced down a lump forming in his throat as a drop of sweat made its way down his salt bitten face. He was dubious of whether his plan would actually work, but he was ready.

Just as the shark was but a mere meter away from him, he dove into the water, darting quickly underneath the beast's belly as he headed straight for its tail. Then quickly, using both his flippers, grabbed the end.

The shark suddenly halted to a stop as it sensed its victim suddenly clutch its tail. The beast growled in annoyance, its defense mechanism slowly kicking in. It bared its blood stained teeth as it began to swing its tail wildly about, in an attempt to shake its prey off.

Kowalski shut his eyes once more as he felt the muscles beneath the predator's dense skin tense, waiting for the right moment.

_Wait for it... and... Now!_

The scientist's eyes snapped open as he let go of the violently whipping appendage, launching himself into the air. During that short interval, the ferocious creature leapt out of the water with its mouth wide open, preparing to trap the "flying" avian in its jaws. Kowalski immediately saw his chance and forward flipped, throwing his foot down on top of the shark's nose.

The Great White roared in shock as it fell back to the water, its black eyes glazed with alarm. It fell into the water with a loud splash, its mouth still wide open. Kowalski landed in the water shortly after, his heart still beating at a rapid pace. Ragged gasps of

relief and shock flowed out of his beak, his eyes still widened with alarm.

Angelique slowly swam over to him, a friendly smile stretched across her beak. Gently, she placed a comforting flipper onto his shoulder, giving it a light pat. Kowalski turned to the female next to him, and gave her a small smile of his own. "You did well Kowalski." she praised, her face glowing brightly with pride. The egghead nodded as he gazed into her violet eyes, "As to you Angelique." he replied softly. They both turned ahead, where Alexander had just finished with his shark.

The water monitor's claws glistened with blood underneath the soft light of late afternoon, a triumphant and blood quenched smile carved into his face. The once wild beast that lay before him was a bloody mess; its skin was completely torn, and its features so disfigured that you couldn't even tell where its head was anymore. With a final glance at the slaughtered creature, the combat medic spun around and swam towards the two awaiting tuxedo avians. "The liver was a little too pastey for my taste, but still edible." he commented, twirling his razors around in the briny water that surrounded him, washing off the blood and creating small spirals of scarlet along the surface.

"Thank goodness that's over." sighed Angelique, flickering her eyes briefly towards the misty puffs of blood that had just begun their descent into the water. "Do we still have the components?" Kowalski nodded, "Affirmative, and they're right here." he assured, taking out the two transistors and the radio from heaven knows where. "Could we please head back to the island now? I want to make it back in time for dinner." complained Alexander throwing his head back, the words flowing out of his mouth heavily drawled.

"Alright, alright. We'll go."

* * *

**Though it does sound rather silly, it is true. A shark's weakness is its nose, because there is a special jelly filled sack hidden underneath that help it detect prey by sensing its electric field. So if you punch the nose, it shocks the shark. Interesting isn't it? Anyway... REVIEW!**


	16. Emerging Secrets

**Here's Chapter 16. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 16

The next day after the trio's successful trip to the plane wreck, Angelique had suggested that they leave their pieces of salvaged equipment on the beach, so that the sun could properly dry up any excess water still trapped within them. The others of course, had fully agreed with the female scientist. Especially Kowalski, who had offered to calculate the average time of which the components should remain on the seashore, eventually, concluding with the result of 16 hours; which he also mentioned would give them plenty of time for a little relaxation. Much to both the intellectuals' and the others' delight, due to the fact that it gave them another opportunity to go to the waterfall together again. Julien, however, was told to go find more food, in exchange for extras at dinnertime.

Private was currently perched on top of the diving cliff, preparing for a quadruple backflip, and front flip plunge. Not exactly his idea of safe or fun, but the total opposite in Rico's case.

"Come on! Come on!" squawked Rico as he impatiently flapped his wings in the air, irritated at how long it took the young cadet to just "suck it up". Private swiveled around to face the weapons expert, "Is this really necessary?" he anxiously asked, wringing his flippers nervously. Rico nodded his head vigorously, "Uh huh! Kaboom!" Private frowned, "How does this have anything to do with explosions?" he questioned. "Big splash!" replied the scarred penguin.

"Then why don't _you_ do it, if you're so keen?"

"Nu uh. You. Badger."

The youth cocked a brow curiously at Rico, clearly not perceiving the point he was trying to make. The mohawk wielding penguin groaned in annoyance as he waddled towards Private. He then grabbed him by the shoulders and spun the small penguin around, pointing down towards a certain blonde badger sitting on a rock several meters away from the diving cliff's splash zone.

Private laughed sheepishly in response after a moment of awkward silence, a soft rosy tincture slowly spreading across his cheeks. Rico flashed him a cheeky grin, in an affable and jeering attempt to break through both the Brit's emotional and physical boundaries.

The youngster simply scoffed in reply- but it sounded less convincing than he had wanted it to be. "Pfft! That's ridiculous Rico!" he began, jerking his eyes away from view of the green-eyed badger that sat 49 feet below him, "What in the world could have possibly made you think that?"

Rico cocked his head knowingly, his face contorted into a look that clearly showed he didn't buy a single word of Private's chastened denial.

The chubby penguin shot Rico a small look of displeasure, "Fine." He hissed, ultimately giving in to the maniac's so called "excuse".

Cautiously, he stepped out onto the very tip of the precarious rocky ledge, breathing heavily. He _was _rather nervous of whether the stunt he was about to execute would be safe or not; but that wasn't nearly as nerve-racking as the fact that he was doing it in front of Becky.

Private took one last gulp of air as he closed his eyes, forcefully pushing his fear down to the pit of his stomach, giving way to any possible floods of courage that might fill his muscles. He then drew his flippers back, recoiling his body back slightly. The cadet tensed his shoulders as he steadily shifted his weight onto his feet, in preparation of springing forward.

Just as he was about to leap, the rocks located at the tip of the cliff crumbled beneath him, their weak structure giving in to his sudden weight (no matter how light he was). The trainee screamed in shock as he lost his footing and fell completely off course, landing in the water somewhere close to the waterfall's supralittoral area, the splash of his touch down drowned out by the noise of the roaring waterfall. The females at the bottom caught sight of this; surprised and alarmed gasps of shock escaping from their lips. Rico too gasped, his eyes widened with horror.

To be situated close to or underneath a waterfall's tide is indeed somewhat dangerous, seeing that the impact it sometimes makes with a flat surface of water is fairly powerful, and could possibly injure you and or cause you to drown. This much Rico and the girls knew.

Quickly, he croaked out for help, in which the penguins as well as Alexander came to his aid. Skipper turned towards his third in command, "Rico, tell us what happened."

* * *

Black dots.

That was all Private could see as the water churned violently around him, engulfing him into an aggressive storm of freezing chills and darkness. The penguin's breath was running out; the bubbles of air escaping his beak slowly growing smaller in size and rapid in speed as they made their way towards the surface.

He frantically began to grapple with the water's strong current, paddling wildly with his flippers and kicking hysterically with his feet as he desperately tried to look for an undisturbed area of water for him to break through.

Just at the moment when all hope seemed lost for the youth, he saw something twinkle above the surface.

_The water in that area was still_.

Mistaking it for the sun, relief washed over the youth as he swam briskly towards it, fighting the intense flow of water; his energy kicked into high gear and adrenaline pumping through his veins.

In what seemed like an eternity, he reached his destination, bursting through the surface as he gasped ravenously for oxygen. His vision still blurry with fatigue from his scuffle with the current, he reached out for something solid to lean against. Eventually, he came across of what felt like a flat piece of rock and clambered atop it, hauling his shivering body swiftly out of the water as he did so.

Private trembled as the icy feeling that choked his nerves grew stronger, its chills tingling the tips of his quills. He then rose to his feet, his flippers hugging his shoulders tightly as the water slowly beaded of his toned, sleek body and onto the brown rock beneath him, forming a large puddle at his feet.

The youngster blinked slowly as he scanned his surroundings, the uncomfortable sting of water ebbing away from his eyes. He knitted his non-existent brow in confusion- this was not the place he had wanted.

He was in front of a cave- a secret one. _Hidden by the waterfall… _Private thought, his eyes widening in realization. Tilting his head up, he quickly managed to find the thing that he had at first thought was the sun.

It was a golden statue, formed into the shape of a dog's head, and was hanging directly above the entrance of the cave, nailed into its ridge. The cadet anxiously placed a foot forward; only to jerk it back in surprise as a blinding flash of white flared brightly from the intimate canine's eyes, but it only lasted for a second.

Private scratched his head in confusion as he cocked it to the side; his thoughts spinning with questions as he slowly waddled into the dimly lit cave.

Like their old den, the whole place reeked of a thick muskiness, lightly disguised with the familiar scent of fungi. Echoes of dripping water bounced off the rounded cave walls as the young cadet stepped deeper into the stone grotto.

He soon found himself standing at the end of the stone chamber, staring at a large object shaped almost like a closet, its doors covered with a hieroglyphical language of some kind. An incredibly thick wooden plank was pushed through three sturdy golden latches, keeping the large wardrobe looking object shut. Piles of jewels and priceless treasures of various shapes, sizes and colours surrounded it; their shiny exteriors twinkling softly in the limited light; mainly rubies and gold.

Private's lower beak hung open slightly in awe at the sight of the unparalleled mounds of bounty that sat before him, its shining majesty reflecting perfectly in his sapphire coloured eyes. "Oh my…"

* * *

"Shitake mushrooms man! Why'd you ask him to do a loony stunt like that? The boy ain't ready for that kind of stuff yet! For all we know he could be drowning by now!" yelled Skipper sternly as he eyed Rico disapprovingly, occasionally jabbing him angrily in the chest.

The scarred penguin frowned, obviously ashamed of his actions. "Sorry." He grunted, tapping the ends of his flippers together nervously, his head tilted downwards slightly.

The flat-headed penguin ran to the edge of the cliff, keeping a safe distance away from any loose pieces of rock. "I'm goin' in" he quickly stated, throwing the mohawk wielding penguin a fairly angry look. But just as he was about to dive in to the rescue, Private's head bobbed out of the water below.

"Guys! I'm alright!" he called out, waving his flippers wildly about, successfully catching the eye of a somewhat puzzled Skipper. The commander breathed a sigh of relief as he caught sight of the young student, bobbing safely in the water meters below him. "For Pete's sake, Private! You nearly gave us a heart attack!" scolded Skipper, his voice a mixture of both annoyance and relief. Private stared up at his commander, a sheepish smile plastered on his beak, "Sorry Skipper!" he apologized, slowly turning around and swimming steadily towards the shore.

The others followed, arriving on shore as well, and crowding around Private as they flooded him with numerous questions.

"What took you so long?" asked Alexander, cocking a suspicious brow at the chubby penguin as he crossed his arms against his chest. Private turned towards him, "I accidentally wandered into a cave. That's all." Simply replied the little penguin, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I also found something there that I thought Becky would like." he shyly stated, reaching from behind his back and pulling out a golden bracelet.

The blonde badger let out a small gasp of surprise at the small piece of jewelry held within Private's grasp, eyeing each of the delicate rubies imbedded within its golden band. The same signs from the closet like object in the cave were printed on the wristlet as well, but Becky and the others were too astonished to even notice. Except for Alpha, who narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the carvings.

"Oh, Private! It's gorgeous! Thank you!" exclaimed Stacy gratefully, giving the cadet a quick hug before slipping the valuable accessory onto her wrist. Private blushed slightly, "You're very welcome." He replied, smiling at the green-eyed badger standing next to him.

Alpha's eyes widened as he suddenly caught sight of the ancient looking writing etched into the golden bracelet. He whipped around to face Private, steadily keeping his expression neutral, "Private," he began rather softly, padding to the young avian's side, "Where did you find the cave?"

Private, who hadn't caught the rather bitter gleam in the Doberman's eyes, replied. "Behind the waterfall. Why?" the Brit questioned, turning towards the large canine, his head cocked to the left slightly.

Alpha jerked his face away from view, "No reason." He quickly barked, accidentally making it sound harsher than it should have. He paused in mid step as he turned around and swept his gaze across the small group of stunned yet shocked faces. "Really. It's nothing." He assured. Alpha gave one last deep sigh before padding away, stopping just for a moment to say he was going to back to his den first, before he disappeared into the undergrowth.

The animal stowaways then quickly shrugged off Alpha's peculiar behavior and continued to chat for a while. Skipper however, remained silent for most of the conversation, only to answer Marlene's occasional questions with a simple 'yeah' or 'no'. The leader saw the way Alpha had reacted after seeing the bracelet Private had given Becky, and he knew something bad was going to happen. But what was on the bracelet that interested him so much? More importantly, why?

Though there were so many questions left to be answered, his point was becoming clear.

Something was wrong with Alpha.

He just knew it.

He could feel it in his gut.

* * *

**As always, please review and tell me what you think. Until next time!**


	17. Rescue Arrangement

**Here's the 17th chapter! Just a note, three new characters will appear in this chapter. I don't own them, and they belong to 13thsense. Anyway, sorry if it's a little rushed. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 17

"Now just a tweak to the left... and…done!" exclaimed Angelique happily, slamming her flippers onto her makeshift worktable as she proudly eyed the radio she had managed to "revive". Numerous spots of dried sweat stains were printed faintly on her forehead; a sign that showed she had obviously worked rather hard to fix the small radio.

After sixteen consecutive hours, just as Kowalski had predicted, the water inside the equipment had all dried up, and was ready for construction. Angelique, who had eagerly volunteered to be the one to put the pieces together, had just finished, and was proudly holding up said object in the bright light the sun of early afternoon provided.

Kowalski smiled, just as proud as she was of her accomplishment, and gingerly took the small contraption from the female penguin's grasp. "Well done Angelique." he began, gently brushing his flipper across the tarnished metal of the transmitter, "You work quickly indeed. How efficient."

A bashful grin steadily curled at the sides of the pre-mentioned avian's beak, a gleam of sheepish gratitude sparkling in her violet eyes. "Why... why thank you, Kowalski. H-how nice of you to... uh... notice..." she murmured, her usually confident voice overtaken by a queer stammer.

Alexander's eyelids drooped slightly, a small frown forming on his lips, the coming indication of an about-to-be-spewed insult.

"Yeah. If it were Kowalski doing this, our progress rate would be spiked. Permanently." he commented rudely, showing no consideration whatsoever in his choice of words. The water monitor paused; glancing nonchalantly at the pair of glares he was receiving from the two penguins standing several feet away, their flippers on their hips.

"Anyway…" grumbled Angelique low but angrily under her breath, "I've recalibrated the transistors and expanded the transmitter's radial signal distance. Hopefully we'll just be able to reach the Bronx Zoo and get a good enough hold on them. At least long enough for us to give them the required data for our rescue." She explained, the anger slowly disappearing from her face.

Angelique turned towards the reptile standing beside Kowalski, "Why don't you come up here and contact your old team then. Huh?" she asked him snidely, gesturing towards the contraption seated on the makeshift worktable. The combat medic simply raised his brow in reply to the lady's sarcasm, before stepping forward and gingerly grabbing hold of one of the radio transmitter's knobs.

* * *

"Hey Dmitry! Why's that machine over there buzzing?"

"What machine, Ovid?"

"That one! Right over there! On the table!"

"You mean the radio transmitter?"

"Whatever! Could you see what's going on with that thing? It's disturbing our game!"

The flying fox named Dmitry frowned at the roadrunner called Ovid sitting several feet from him, before quickly hopping over to the noisy contraption. Ovid turned back to his card game, throwing the Genet sitting across from him a smug grin. "Monarch!" he exclaimed triumphantly, slamming down a king of clubs from his fan of cards, "Ha! Beat that, Clemens!"

The one named Clemens sitting opposite him simply pulled out his card in response, placing it gently beside Ovid's and smiled. "Blackberry. Looks like I win." The once confident roadrunner's face darkened in defeat. "Crud…" he grumpily mumbled, shoving over his betted portion of trail mix, "Enjoy my dinner genet…"

Dmitry, who was in front of the team's transmitter, whipped around to face the others, the headphones connected to the radio contraption clasped firmly to his head. "It's Alexander!" he told them, eyes widened with shock and glazed with alarm. The distress ringing from his voice told the two all; something bad had happened to him.

Clemens and Ovid rushed over, pressing the sides of their heads' on either ear of the headphones clamped onto Dmitry's. The bat frowned slightly in annoyance, "Get your ears off my headphones, and I'll put it on speaker." He muttered. The two immediately jumped back, and Dmitry pulled out the headphones' plug, carefully attaching the speaker to the transmitter.

Grabbing the microphone in front of them, Clemens turned one of the various knobs on the radio as he tried to once again get a hold of his ex-commander. "Alexander! Do you read me?" he spoke, mouthing each word as loudly and clearly as he could into the amplification device.

Fuzzy and scrambled noises emitted from the speaker in response, but eventually Alexander's voice came through.

"_Clemens, I read you. Loud and clear." _The water monitor replied, occasional buzzes from the poor signal interrupting him. "Where in the world are you, Alexander? This has got to be one of the crappiest signals I've ever had to deal with." complained the genet, jerking one of the knobs on the control panel to the left. Dmitry signaled for him to stop and let him take over the controls, in which the genet gratefully obliged.

"_Well it's kind of a long story so I'm just gonna have to give you the short version." _spoke Alexander on the other end, a slight chuckle wavering in his voice. He cleared his throat slightly before continuing, _"We're stranded on this island and… well… need a rescue party… which we were hoping would be you guys." _

Dmitry turned away from the controls for a moment, and faced Ovid. "Quick. Run over to the drawer and grab a pad and pencil for me." He whispered, pointing towards the small storage compartment that was pulled open halfway from the nearby table. The roadrunner beside him nodded, before briskly heading for the pre-mentioned drawer.

Clemens turned away from the mic for a moment as he felt Dmitry tap him gently on the shoulder. The weapons expert nodded towards the flying fox sitting beside him, who had gestured towards the roadrunner fumbling around in the drawer a few feet away from them. "Alright. Now just tell me your co-ordinates, or at least give us a vague idea of where you are." Clemens instructed, while Dmitry gingerly took the writing utensils from Ovid, who had quickly returned with the requested items.

A small uproar of muffled voices rose from the other line, the provided fuzzy humming of the poor signal only making the whispers of the conversation even more difficult to comprehend. Eventually, a different voice rose from the other end; one that was deeper in tone than Alexander's.

"_Kowalski here." _the voice said, _"You've met my commander- Skipper. So I guess you remember me as well." _

Ovid grabbed the microphone from Clemens "Yeah. I remember you. You're the tall one right?" he asked, cocking a brow.

An interjection of surprise suddenly came from the penguin on the opposite line, _"Yes, yes I am the tall one. Thank you for remembering._" He said, giving a somewhat haughty chuckle, but was suddenly interrupted by an annoyed, feminine sounding voice.

Clemens snatched the amplification device from the bird standing next to him, throwing him a rather irked look as he did so. "Anyway," he began, lulling for a second or two as he signaled towards Dmitry to stand by. "Give us your co-ordinates, and hurry. I don't think Dmitry here can hold the signal for much longer."

"_Alright, alright" _reiterated Kowalski, his voice hastening, _"Judging from how much we were thrown off course to Fernando de Noronha, I estimate our coordinates right now to be somewhere around… oh… 33.5 degrees west and 4.1 degrees south… you'll have to do a small search around that area if you want to find us." _

Dmitry quickly scribbled down the last digit, finishing with a solid dot on the page next to the two small rows of numbers. The bat gave Clemens a thumbs-up, who once again nodded in response before turning back to the microphone. "Alright Kowalski, got it. We'll be taking the chopper; just telling you so you know what to look for." He said as Dmitry set the writing implements aside.

"_Good." _Sighed the tall penguin on the other line, _"So how l-l-long w… -ake…." _He paused as a distressed cry came from the other line. "_No…. we're… breaki-… up… " _Kowalski exclaimed, his panicked voice getting fuzzier by the second, "_*buzzing*… Angeli-… -g-g-get… -ignal… up…" _

Dmitry frowned as he frantically began pressing the buttons on the dashboard, "Kowalski! Do you read me?" Clemens shouted, the bat beside him still desperately trying to pick the signal back up- but all in vain.

The signal was lost.

"Shoot!" exclaimed the flying fox working the controls, "I lost them!"

Clemens sighed, reaching out a paw to give Dmitry a reassuring pat on the back. "It's okay. We have the data. Now all we need is a plan." He said. The genet placed a paw under his chin as he stroked it, fixed in deep thought. Ovid swiftly broke his brooding, "What're you talking about? We've already got a plan!" he exclaimed, his eyes widened with surprise, "Take the chopper to coordinates we got and rescue them! Simple as that!"

The weapons expert crossed his arms, "Yeah I guess so." He mumbled, "Dmitry, could you please go make sure the helicopter's up and running? We've got a couple of castaways to save."

* * *

**Please review, and tell me what you think! Until next time!**


	18. A Volcanic Situation

**Here's chapter 18. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 18

The beams of the late morning sun beat down gently upon Sienna's tangelo coloured fur as she slowly made her way through the path of trampled undergrowth. Her orange pelt glowed brightly underneath the soft sunlit rays, an orange golden aura outlining her slim, toned body with a mystic like luminesce.

Becky tread closely beside the wildcat, her eyes fixed on the band of gold delicately looped around her wrist. A wide smile was plastered on her snout as she softly stroked the fragile stones of ruby imbedded into the precious accessory, their reflective exterior twinkling dimly in the light.

Sienna silently shifted her gaze from the dirt path stretching before her, to the wildly grinning blondie next to her. A small smile of her own slowly began to curl along the edge of her whiskered muzzle, an all-too-knowing glint of mischief flickering faintly in her emerald coloured eyes. "That really is a lovely bracelet, and it is a perfectly agreeable fact that you love it so much." began the rhodesian slasher, earning a rather nonchalant expression from the badger walking alongside her. "After all," the feline paused, her stride quickening in pace while her tail swished thoughtfully behind her. "Private _was_ the one who gave it to you."

The green-eyed female's eyes widened in disbelief as she halted abruptly to a stop; her body frozen with the inability to comprehend what the tangelo-furred cat had just said. Quickly, she shook off the awkward shock wave of emotion and staggered after the wildcat, her frazzled mind juggled with numerous possible phrases she could use in defiance to what the rhodesian slasher had said, or in otherwise, claimed. At least in Becky's case.

Sienna glanced casually over her shoulder, a somewhat smug look spread across her face as she watched the jonquil-furred mustelidae stumble frantically towards her. Her sides were heaving slightly, from what Sienna wasn't so certain- most likely the run.

Once said female finally managed to catch her breath, with a pout and an arch of her eyebrows, she threw Sienna a look of irritation. "You seem rather pleased with yourself, care to share Sienna?" Becky asked, sarcasm hinted in her voice. The wildcat didn't even flinch, but instead, steadily held her confident gaze as she lowered herself down to Becky's height; intensifying the blondie's irritation. "Becky, dear. You playing coy with me about Private is the thing. Constantly denying your feelings yet still showing them. Quite often I might add." Sienna said; her mature, maternity-like instinct throttle kicked into high gear.

The wildcat grinned as she caught sight of the nearly, unnoticeable twitch that had overtook the badger's left eye.

Desperately, Becky scrabbled at her face, an aimless attempt to ease her twitching nerves. She was losing this fight, that she couldn't deny, and really if she gave or take any of the factors, had already. Pretty much. Lost it.

With a sigh of reluctant defeat, she quietly padded back to Sienna's side. "Alright, fine…" quietly began Becky, twiddling her fingers nervously; her ears pressed flat against her head as she grit her teeth anxiously. Sienna smiled as she wiggled a brow jeeringly at the fidgety mustelidae, "So you finally admit?" she inquired, though she already knew the answer.

Becky narrowed her eyes at the feline, "Yeah, yeah. Don't push it…" she warned, shaking an advisory finger at the wildcat.

Sienna laughed in response, "Alright, alright." She reiterated, "still, don't be embarrassed about your feelings. It's perfectly fine that you like Private, besides; I'm pretty sure he feels the same way about you." Stacy flashed a sheepish grin at the wildcat, a ruddy hue creeping along her cheeks, "You really think so?" the rhodesian slasher nodded, an amiable smile stretched along her lips.

They're conversation was cut short as they found them selves standing in front of the fern wall that obstructed their path towards the spring. The two waited for the other girls that were trailing behind to catch up, then pushed back the green curtain and entered the small clearing.

Sienna was first to dip into the clear-water pool, only to jump out of it in shock, but mostly out of pain. The wildcat frantically grabbed her foot in agony, fanning it frenetically with a fore-paw as she attempted to force away her pain.

The others gasped, quickly rushing over to their friend's side, and pouring out their concern for her.

"Oh my gosh! Sienna, what happened?" asked Marlene, her eyebrows arched with worry. Angelique and Stacy had quickly rushed off, to return several moments later with a small bunch of leaves still drenched with the drops of dew from earlier that morning. Gently, they padded the entanglement of moist greenery onto the affected area. "Ah! That water's way too hot!" declared Sienna through clenched teeth.

"It's okay, it's okay." comforted Stacy gently, passing Angelique another wet leaf. "The water just scalded your foot a little and gave you a burn. It was lucky that you pulled back when you did, otherwise the degree of the burn could have pushed to a third." reassured Angelique as she continued her gentle work, lightly dabbing the scorched area of skin with her leaf, the dew clinging onto the small frond slowly dribbling their way into Sienna's slightly blistering skin.

"There was nothing wrong with the spring the last time we came here." commented Iris, slowly walking to the pool's edge and peering into it. "What happened?"

Angelique frowned as she rubbed the bottom of her beak in deep thought, slowly getting up and joining Iris by the clear water spring. "If my knowledge of hydrology is correct, I'd say that this so-called dormant volcano of ours may not be so dormant after all." she pondered out loud, tapping the tip of her beak as she swiftly flicked a pebble into the now furiously bubbling natural cauldron of clear water.

"What'd you mean?" asked Marlene, placing her paws on her hips, an expression of curiosity clouding her pretty features. Angelique held her gaze, careful not to evoke any panic amongst the group as she nervously tried to gather the right words for an explanation.

"Let me explain_,_ " the female scientist began, her voice wavering ever so slightly, "as every hydrologist knows, a hot spring's source of heat comes from an underground magma chamber; which stays constantly active as it gradually builds up pressure." Angelique paused, using a medium length stick to draw a small diagram in the dirt. "After centuries of compression, the heat will cause the carbon dioxide stored inside the earth's inner core to expand and become rather unstable. Eventually, the CO2 escapes through a geyser or volcano, but because of the amount of power it releases when doing so, it takes up some of the molten rock with it. The process of what we all refer to as an eruption."

Iris cocked her head, "So what you're saying is, the spring being over heated is a sign that…" the raven trailed off as she turned to Angelique for affirmation; in which the penguin responded with a nod of her head.

"Yes. Girls, it looks like we've got an active volcano on our hands."

* * *

"Say what!" exclaimed Rico, throwing his flippers onto his head as panic overtook his mind.

Marlene and the rest of the Team Double X members wheezed out their 'okay's in response, their sides still heaving slightly from the run they had to get from the spring to the den.

Kowalski whipped around to face Angelique, "How much time do we have?."

The female strategist frowned, "I estimate at least a half hour to ninety minutes. We don't have much time." if her fellow lieutenant had teeth, he would have grit them, "We need a plan. Fast." the female penguin nodded, "Agreed, but luckily I already have one." She replied, before quickly hopping up onto a nearby rock, thus gaining a better view of everyone (who were too busy fretting that they didn't notice her, even Julien was taking notice of how critical the circumstances were). With a loud whistle, she quickly gained the team's attention.

"I know I'm not one that likes to assume control, but the limited time we have calls for it." Hastily declared the violet-eyed tuxedo bird turned briefly towards Skipper and Marlene for permission, in which the two enthusiastically authorized. The female leader smiled up at her lieutenant, "Its in your flippers Angelique. We're relying on you, and I know you'll make us all proud." She encouraged, giving the penguin before her a supportive thumbs up.

Angelique smiled gratefully at her friend's optimism, but quickly hardened her gaze as seriousness overtook her. "We need every person up on their feet if we want to make this work. So get your head out of the clouds and act quickly; that means you Julien." Everyone threw the ringtail a solid glare before looking back up at the she-penguin. "Divide into teams of four and five. Each group must be responsible for a different task; but remember, deal with it in an orderly fashion."

She pointed towards the four standing at the edge of the group, "Skipper, Alexander, Rico, and Sienna! You guys are in charge of construction. We need a raft. Quick." she instructed strictly, but politely. Rico winked, "Gotcha." he grunted before quickly rushing off with Skipper, Alexander and Sienna to get on with their work.

The female penguin then turned to the other remaining animals, "Marlene, Iris Becky and Stacy. You're on rope duty." the pre-mentioned Team Double X members nodded in response, and briskly went off to do their duty.

"Private, Julien and Alpha. We need food."

Private raised his flipper to interrupt, "Pardon me Angelique, but… where's Alpha?" he inquired, peering towards his left and right for any sign of the large Doberman dog.

Angelique sighed in exasperation, "I don't know. It looks like you're just going to have to do this without him. Julien should be enough to help you." she replied firmly, though a hint of reluctance lingered in her voice. Private continued, "And the Bronx Team? They still haven't arrived yet."

"I'm afraid I also don't know the answer to that question, hon. We'll just have to see what happens and hope for the best." she once again replied, hopping skillfully off the rock and landing at its base.

"Kowalski! You're with me. We need to find some oars."

The egghead saluted politely, "Yes ma'am!" he addressed politely, somewhat excited about working with the pretty female avian.

Angelique clasped her flippers together, the recognizable look of determination twinkling once more in her eyes.

"Alright people. Let's move!"

* * *

Alpha tread quietly towards the edge of the diving cliff, glancing briefly at the loudly roaring waterfall before sweeping his gaze over towards the now smoking volcano, its wide crater spewing large puffs of black smoke into the clear sky of midday.

He snorted ignorantly, not showing the slightest bit of fear at the sight of the active fire mountain. "That can wait…" he grumbled low under his breath, before diving into the water and swimming towards the waterfall.

Eventually, he made it to the other side, and just as Private had said, there was the hidden cave.

"Finally… after all these pain-staking years…"

Cherishing each moment, Alpha slowly set one fore-paw forward, a sigh steadily flowing out of his lungs. But just as his foot made contact with the ground, the statue attached to the cave entrance ridge glowed a bright white. Alpha jerked back, his ears perked up with shock.

"Darn the luck…" mumbled the Doberman in frustration as he twitched his ears in irritation.

"Looks like I _am _going to have to use him after all."

* * *

**Hmm... who could this mysterious 'him' be? Stay tuned to find out in my next update, which should come in a few days. REVIEW!**


	19. Divide and Conquer

**Here's the 19th chapter. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 19

"You think this'll be enough food Julien?" asked Private, idly twiddling his flippers at his sides as he and the self-proclaimed lemur king steadily made their way through the jungle, dragging their load of scavenged food with them. A small pile of fruit was laid on top of two large fronds, each of them being hauled by the two animals as they trudged towards the raft construction area; which was located on the beach.

Julien simply groaned, his eyes glinting with a strong ignorance towards the chubby penguin's presence. "Ugh, nobody told me that this food gathering thingy would be so… exhausting!" he complained, making exaggerated movements with his arms and the rest of his body, slouching with fatigue.

"But Julien," began Private, gently setting down his food load, "We've only walked for three minutes. How could you possibly be tired?"

His ringtail lemur companion, who was now sprawled out on the dirt and had his head rested on the pile of fruit that he was supposed to tow, gaped at the chubby penguin. "Well guess what smelly water bird," he began snidely, slowly heaving himself to a sitting position, "to me; the king, which is me, feels like it has been an hour."

Though it was against his sweet heart-of-gold like nature, Private couldn't help but huff in frustration at the lemur's self-centered, egotistic character. "Julien. Angelique had clearly said that we need everyone to contribute in this mission if we all want to make it through this." reprimanded the penguin, sternly but politely, his flippers placed on his hips; a little but easily-to-become trait acquired from Skipper after their many years of training together.

Julien rudely scoffed in response, shifting into a more comfortable position as he turned away from the trainee, much to his annoyance.

Just when the youth was going to give the lazy mammal a peace of his mind, a coconut came flying out of nowhere. It hit the "king" square on the head, and knocked him out a like a light.

Private gasped, forgetting about his anger towards the ringtail and quickly grabbing him by the shoulders, attempting to shake him awake. "Julien!" he called out worriedly, "Wake up!" The self-proclaimed king remained silent, much to the youngster's demise.

The tuxedo bird gulped, posing in his fighting stance as alert flashed through his sapphire blue eyes.

Everything seemed to tune out as an eerie silence fell upon the small, secluded area of the jungle. The vegetation's long, green appendages loomed ominously over Private and the unconscious lemur as a bead of sweat trickled sluggishly down the little penguin's forehead. His lower jaw trembled slightly as he desperately tried to reduce his rapidly increasing heartbeat, letting out deep, but silent breaths.

A fear unlike any other that he had experienced, slowly flowed through his veins, accompanied by the fiery stream of adrenaline, overwhelming his tiny pudgy little body with its forcible might.

A soft growling interrupted Private's petrified thoughts, sending horribly gruesome images into the cadet's head instead. The young penguin gulped, straining his muscles even more as he frantically tried to recall Skipper's teachings of how to counter attack assaults from hidden enemies. An acrid tang of some sort flooded into his beak, its bitterness causing him to grimace in disgust as the leaves of a nearby bush rustled noisily, a recognizable pair of gleaming eyes glowing from within the shrub.

Private lowered his stance, his beak agape with shock, "Alph- oof!" unfortunately he was tackled to the ground before he had a chance to finish. The toned, yet skinny body of his attacker pinned him firmly to the ground, his rancid breath brushing softly across his cheek.

Private struggled underneath his opponent's firm grip, his eyes squeezed shut as he summoned all the strength he could muster; to no avail. It was then an idea came to him.

With his free foot, he gave a hard kick to his assaulter's stomach, causing him to recoil back in pain. While he was diverted from the fight, Private moved onto the second part of his plan.

Running for it.

With his common sense pushed out of his mind and his panic mode set to high, he dropped onto his belly, and slid away into the depths of the tropical forest. The little penguin's eyes were widened with fear, as panic choked his lungs and forced out shallow rapid breaths through his uncontrollably shuddering bill.

Several agonizingly long moments passed as the young trainee travelled further and further from the area of ambush. After several minutes, he allowed himself to slow down slightly, relief flooding through his body from the pit of his heart. The worst had been over... or so he thought. For his attacker was not far off, bounding at full speed after him.

Private gasped as he caught sight of his pursuer gaining. Private pushed forward through the dense greenery, trying his best to out run the vicious assaulter, but much to his demise, slid into a dead end.

He was cornered.

The assailant who had been chasing him seized his chance. With a loud bark, he pounced forward and raked his razor sharp claws across Private's face, his amber eyes filled with a burning hostility.

The penguin yelped in pain, clutching his cheek as blood rapidly began to surface from the small gash. Quickly, he shoved the stinging twinge to the back of his mind and kicked his opponent in the chin, knocking out a tooth or two in the process. The attacker cried out in agony as the taste of blood filled his taste buds and trickled slowly down the side of his mouth.

"Why are you doing this? I thought we were friends!" exclaimed the cadet as he and his renounced ally circled each other, a dark crimson hue staining their injuries, feathers and fur.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…" his attacker growled, drops of warm scarlet splattering onto the fertile dirt as he spoke. Swiftly, he lunged towards the youth, his mouth opened wide, a loud roar rumbling loudly from his throat and echoing through the jungle.

Private's terrified high-pitched scream was quick to follow.

* * *

Sienna knitted her brow in concentration as she twitched her ears inquisitively towards a sound emanating in the distance. Its vibrations bouncing faintly off her highly developed eardrums. The feline frowned in worry, subconsciously releasing a plank of wood from her grasp, its coarse surface rubbing gently against her paws as it slowly slipped from her fingertips and dropped onto the sandy floor of the beach.

The wildcat's focus was interrupted by Rico, who had taken notice of her sudden anxiety and had waddled over to her side; thus gaining her attention.

"You okay?" he grunted softly, careful not to draw too much attention from the rest of the group. He placed a flipper on her shoulder and gave it a little squeeze as a small comforting smile slowly spread along his scarred beak.

Sienna nodded, rubbing her arm awkwardly and quietly whispering an 'I'm fine' to the maniac penguin.

Rico arched a brow, uncertainty clouding his features and tainting his beak, eyeing the Team Double X member suspiciously. Sienna forced back a lip bite as she nervously watched the small storm of ambivalence rage within the psychopath's pacific blue irises.

After a period of several seconds that seemed like an hour, he squawked out his answer.

"Nope."

The rhodesian slasher bared her fangs, "Oh alright." she drawled, narrowing her eyes vexingly. "It's just that... well... I'm getting worried." she began, turning towards the jungle that lay ahead, "Private and Julien should have been back by now. Time is running out and I'm afraid we won't make it."

Rico cocked his bottom jaw, placing his flipper underneath his bill, rubbing it gently as the gears in his brain began to turn (which was considerably rare). He tried his best to think of some word, or phrase of advice for the wildcat that may help her in someway, in which he eventually did.

"Ugh... Skipper maybe?" he suggested, his voice crackling slightly as he pointed towards the commander standing at the side of the nearly accomplished raft, his flippers clasped behind his back. Sienna pressed her ears flat against her skull, "I suppose so." she said, rather nervous about talking with the leader in the midst of an important operation. "Thanks Rico."

The demotions expert simply nodded his head and raised his flipper, babbling out a quick 'no problem' before stepping aside to give way to the feline.

Sienna let out a deep sigh, constraining all the relief she could as she quickly made her way towards the flat-headed penguin. Said avian cocked his non-existent brow, catching sight of the red rhodesian slasher padding briskly towards her. The sides of his beak curved downwards into his signature frown as he turned towards the approaching wildcat.

"What is it kitty? We're on tight schedule here, grandfather time waits for no man… as does the volcano we're trying to escape." He grumbled, crossing his flippers against his white, feathery chest.

"It's about Private and Julien, sir. They've been gone for a long time and should've been back at least 15 minutes ago." she replied, her face etched with worry and a somewhat hint of annoyance at the leader's snippy attitude.

Skipper seemed to tolerate, not showing any signs of anger as he dipped his head slightly in concurrence. "I agree. I'll round up a search party. Tell Kowalski, Angelique and the badger sisters to meet me at the jungle entrance."

Sienna cocked a brow, "Why so many?" she asked, placing a paw on her hip as she shifted her weight onto her left hind leg. "I said I was worried but you don't have to get so many of the others involved."

Skipper dusted his flippers off, eyeing the wildcat standing in front of him with a look of dead seriousness. "Listen slasher. Somethin' fishy's been going on ever since we washed up on this island; and it ain't the good kind. So if Private and Ringtail really _have_ gone MIA, our missing puzzle piece has been found."

The rhodesian slasher still didn't seem to understand. "I'm sorry but... I'm not seeing your point." she apologized, her nose wrinkling slightly as her face contorted into a look of confusion.

The flat head placed his flippers on his hips, "My _point_, kitty, is that- whatever's going on with our two AWOLs, a fight is sure to follow; and soon."

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**Hope that's enough suspense for you guys, and I assure you, things are going to get action-ey real soon. Until next time, REVIEW!**


	20. The Mystery Unfolds

**Here's chapter 20. Unfortunately the action isn't here yet. I still hope you enjoy it though!  
**

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Chapter 20

Skipper stomped hurriedly through the tropical forest, his non existent brow arched to its limit. An intoxicating mix of anger, determination and worry churning restlessly in both his gut and mind. Though he wouldn't say it out loud, the curiosity was literally eating him alive, as was his ambitious urge to confirm his conspiracy-based suspicions.

The first one on his suspect list was Alpha. Who also happened to be the only one on the list. No doubt about it.

Everything was already pretty straight forward, the pieces of the mystery being the strong wave of hostility he gave when they first encountered each other; switching to the complete opposite almost immediately after Private had gathered up the courage to clear things up. Next his reaction to the bracelet that was retrieved by the youngster, and given as a gift to Becky. Then finally- which happened to be the most recent- the canine's mysterious disappearance.

The dog was definitely up to something. Ambivalence wasn't an option on this one. If the others weren't so trusting and gullible, they would've caught him in the act at least a day ago. Who knows? They may have even strung him up by his throat the moment they met him. At least, this was Skipper's opinion on the whole situation.

Unfortunately, the commander knew perfectly well that he really had no authority over it all; with the whole 'being stranded on an island' thing and the desperation overwhelming their minds- it was a battle he could not win. No matter how much it annoyed him.

The flat head let out a low growl of annoyance, pushing himself out of his scrambled but organized thoughts as he continued his search. A fern suddenly appeared before him, the result of several butterflies landing atop its fragile yet sturdy ridge. The infernal plant was obstructing the leader's vision, preventing him from traveling any further down the dirt path. Behind him, shouts of protest rang through the air- the source mainly being the two badger sisters.

Being the mature soldier he was, he ignored their cries of disapproval and ever so gently; the captain pushed the plant aside, careful not to harm the insects resting along it. He stopped for a moment as he watched the radiantly coloured creatures flutter their wings, abruptly aware of the vegetation's sudden animation. His sapphire eyes traveled alongside the departing mariposas for several moments, watching their colours blend harmoniously with the bright rays of sunlight as they quickly departed from his sight.

Skipper jerked his eyes forward, letting out a soft groan as a sudden drowsiness began to sink into his limbs. He placed a flipper on his throbbing forehead, closing his eyes as he ventured slowly forward, the pain in his head slowly ebbing away. The captain sighed, another plant was in the way; only this time it was a huge branch. Skillfully, he grabbed hold of the sturdy piece of wood and snapped it, throwing it to side as he stepped through a large shrub.

Once he made his way to the other side, he found himself standing at the edge of a small dirt path. Flattened pieces of plant life were scattered along its sides, dots of blood and scraps of mangled fur and feathers adding to the mess.

Kowalski was next to exit from the shrub, followed quickly by Angelique and the badgers, simultaneously widening their eyes at the rather horrid sight. The egghead watched his commander silently survey the strewn segments, nervously observing the flat head's angrily clamped beak.

"Kowalski. Angelique. Give me an analysis!" ordered Skipper, casting his flipper out towards the mysterious crimson stained fragments.

Angelique was first to react; stepping forward and swiftly snatching up a remnant of fur. Kowalski quickly joined her, "Judging by the blood stains splattered across this tuft of fur, it looks like whoever's… or whatever's pelt that it had once belonged to was in quite a scuffle." He expounded, gingerly poking the scarlet smeared piece of evidence held within his fellow intellectual's grasp.

The female beside him grunted softly in agreement as she cast her eyes out towards the rest of the path. She briskly waddled down it, constantly whipping her head from one side to the other, reenacting the most possible scenario in her mind as her eyes darted around the area. "Indeed- and _what_ a scuffle" she articulated, kneeling down then getting back up, a bloody feather clutched tightly in her flipper. "Look at this Kowalski." she urged. The female beckoned the lieutenant closer to her, the erudite sparks in her eyes glimmering with an even greater ferocity.

Kowalski shuffled back to her side, dusting the drying dirt off his flippers as a look of anticipation clouded his face. "What is it?" he asked, scrutinizing at the little red dotted, black quill twirled around in the she-penguin's wing tips. She lifted her flipper and rested it just beneath a rather large blotch of blood smudged along the plume's side. "The blood." She noted, showing the now crimson stained inner surface of her feathers appendage. "It's fresh. See how bright the red looks?"

The Team Double X lieutenant handed the small sample of plumage to Kowalski, wiping the blood off of her flipper, and grimacing slightly in disgust all the while. The scientist beside her nodded, "You're right," He mused aloud, "And look at the claw marks one the ground. They're angled at an average of 45 degrees to the right, the next one turning in the opposite direction." The male genius paused as he trailed the tip of his webbed toe along the grooves of the scrape marks. "No matter how un-aligned they are- the pattern remains the same."

Angelique nodded, "No doubt Alpha's claw marks and fur…" she replied, "as well as Private's feathers." A triumphant smile spread along Skipper's beak, "Ha! I knew it!" he exclaimed and interjected, slamming his fist against his other flipper in affirmation; the missing piece of his conspiracy was found. Angelique frowned, "We don't know whether Alpha _was _responsible, and even if he was- for what reason? And remember that Julien was with Private, something else must have happened to him since no signs of lemur fur are on the trail." "If we find him, he may have some sort of clue we could use." continued Kowalski the others nodded in agreement. "So now what happens?" asked Stacy, raising a paw as she shrugged lightly.

"We follow the trail to the source, that's what!" ordered Skipper, "Now let's move out!"

* * *

Marlene paced nervously across the beach; paw prints appearing in the sand with every step she took. Her hazel eyes were fixed on the ground, a seemingly blank look printed upon her dainty features.

Iris sighed and blinked slowly, her eyes traveling along the small trench that was beginning to dig itself into the ground- courtesy of the chocolate furred otter, who was worrying her head off. Or at least the raven thought.

The ebony bird sighed, slowly making her way towards the female fighting force leader, her wings folded gingerly together in front of herself. Marlene lifted her head, forcing out the anxiety in her face as she watched the coal feathered avian approach steadily towards her. "Hey, Iris." laughed the brown coloured mustelidae weakly, giving a small wave that didn't seem to faze the black bird. "What's up?"

Iris crossed her feathered appendages and cocked a brow in response, "You're worried about him. Aren't you?" she said, ignoring the aquatic mammal's artless distraction. Marlene pursed her lips as a somewhat guilty look carved its way into her face, giving her arm a soft swipe with her paw. "Since when have I allowed you to speak like that to me? You guys were the one that put me in charge of this team." she snapped, careful not to sound too harsh, but stern. "And what do you mean by this _'he'_?"

The raven shook her head, "Marlene. Please. Don't try to throw us off the subject." she replied coolly, holding her gaze without trouble whatsoever. "You know just as well as the rest of us who _'he'_ is." Iris paused, letting out yet another sigh as she unfolded her wings, allowing them to hang loosely at her sides. "It's Skipper."

Marlene shut her eyes, the words flowing smoothly out her mouth, "Yes," she finally confessed, "and the others too." The otter frowned, quickly flicking away a small tear, hugging herself tightly by the shoulders as she turned briefly away from Iris. "You know just as well as I do that they may not be able to make it." Marlene whispered after a long interval of silence. She paused once more, placing a paw over her eyes as she felt the salty tears well up. "Of all the ways to end; it has to be this." She choked out, before letting out a small sob.

Iris smiled, placing a reassuring wing on her friend's shoulder, friendly comfort engraved into her face.

"And _you_ know just as well as _I _do that these are no ordinary zoo animals we're talking about here." she replied, gently reaching out to remove Marlene's paw from her face, revealing the tear stains printed faintly on her cheeks.

The mustelidae smiled back, her whiskers glistening slightly from the few salty drops of water that had escaped from her eyes. "Thanks Iris." she said, the gratefulness ringing clear from her voice.

The raven dipped her head in acknowledgement, "Anytime Marlene." She simply replied, patting her gently on the back. "Now come on. Let's finish the sail."

* * *

Skipper clutched his head in irritation for the fourth time that day, the drowsiness blocking out his senses for a brief moment, and then finally ebbing away, returning into silent hibernation in the back of his mind once again.

The captain slapped his cheek sharply, knocking himself back into reality as he found himself yet again crossing paths with another bush; only this time, there was a hole in the shrub. He knitted his flat brow curiously, treading cautiously through the large gap in the plant. The commander groaned exasperatedly, slapping a flipper on his forehead as his other curled into a trembling fist.

"Oh come on!" he exclaimed, throwing his feathered fins to his sides in annoyance as he eyed the dirt beneath him in abhorrence. "We're right back where we started! That canine must've set us up!"

Kowalski was next to step through the bush, and had overheard his leader's cries of frustration. He turned to his left, gasping at what had overtaken his vision. "Sir…" he trailed off, pointing towards a motionless body several feet away from them.

The officer looked up, his brow arching as surprise overwrote his angry expression. "Ringtail?" he questioned, scratching the top of his head, "What's he doing here?" Angelique and the badgers, who had joined the males seconds after they had exited the bush, contorted their faces into expressions of incredulity as well.

"It seems as though my theory was correct," stated Angelique as she waddled quickly forward and knelt beside the unconscious Julien. "Looks like he and Private were ambushed."

Skipper shuffled towards the ringtail lemur, his beak fixed into a sneer. "Ringtail! Wake up!" he shouted, lightly kicking the self-proclaimed king's side with his webbed foot.

Julien stirred, his eyelids slowly pulling themselves open as he groggily sat upright on the dirt. "Ugh… my royal melon is feeling a pain unlike any other right now…" he moaned, clutching his bruised head as he slowly reached out for his leafy crown and placed it gently back on top of his head.

Kowalski kneeled down next to him, "Julien." he began, his voice firm and serious, "Where is Private?" he asked. The lemur arched a brow at the egghead, "You mean the chubby one? I am not very knowing of his location. Unfortunately." He replied, shrugging his shoulders as he did so.

Becky rolled her emerald coloured eyes, "Alright he's useless." she stated, placing a paw on her hip, sharing a scornful look with her twin sister standing beside her.

Skipper frowned, "Got that right." he commented, shoving the lemur aside. "Though the details are kind of fuzzy right now. I may have an idea of where our perpetrating mutt might be," he said as he clasped his flippers behind his back, his sapphire eyes narrowed into pondering slits.

"Where?" asked everyone in unison, Julien tagging along on the question, his own curiosity peaked.

"Private's waterfall cave. That's where." replied the commander.

* * *

**A hint of Skilene in this chapter for all you Skilene fans out there. Until next time, REVIEW!**


	21. Armageddon

**Here's chapter number 21, and... wow! This took a lot of patience and time. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 21

Private's cheek stung as a drop of cave water plopped gently into his half-clotted gash, the clear liquid seeping slowly into the wound. The cadet let out an inaudible yelp, his flipper twitching at his sides in a resistant urge to not show any signs of pain or weakness. The rope tied around him chafed his bruised sides like sandpaper to wood as Alpha roughly pushed the poor penguin into the ancient cave. He winced slightly at the pain burning in his muscles, its entanglement of discomfort throbbing mercilessly through his veins and overwhelming his nervous system.

At first, it was somewhat unbelievable to the trainee that the very Doberman that had provided him and his friends shelter, food and hospitality unlike anything else; could suddenly turn. Personally, the youth felt responsible for his relinquished friend's sudden change.

If he hadn't gone and taken that infernal bracelet in the first place, none of this would have ever happened.

Private inwardly sighed; allowing a tear to escape his soft, baby blue eyes and fall upon the hard ground as he slowly cast his tired gaze into the moist den. The recognizable smell of dampness and fungi hit his nose, its strong scent snapping him out of his dazed and battered state.

Alpha waited impatiently behind him, his face contorted into a threatening glare at the small avian before him. The dog raised a paw, and once again shoved the black and white bird further into the dimness of the stone grotto, his hostile growl bouncing of the cavern's rough, moist walls.

"Come on then!" he barked, jerking his snout towards the mysterious black box that stood at the end of the den (which wasn't very far), "Hurry up and open the tomb!" the vicious canine grew silent as a loud rumble boomed through the cave for a brief yet terrifying moment. Private trembled slightly at the tone of harshness ringing from Alpha's voice, "B-but the volcano's going to explode!" he stammered, casting a flipper out towards the image of the smoking volcano that reflected in the waterfall's spray that flowed rapidly at the entrance. The canine ignored the flight-deprived bird's pitiful cries, "Now!" he yapped.

Private's eyes widened, "Oh dear…" he whispered anxiously to himself, unaware of the snarling Doberman behind him. "Go!" he once again yowled, the hairs at the back of his neck bristling with vexation.

The youngster reluctantly obeyed, taking several paces forward and placing his flippers gently upon the sturdy plank that was pushed through the golden latch staples. Bright rays of white, blinding light shot out of the sarcophagus' sides, the ancient carvings etched on its door gleaming a blood red as the little tuxedo bird pushed the sturdy and heavy wooden stave away, steadily unlocking the mysterious coffin that towered over him and Alpha.

The bar of solid timber was almost out of the clasps, its rough surface scraping the insides of the fasteners. The dog standing several feet behind Private let out a gleeful somewhat psychotic laugh, throwing his head back as he did so. "Finally! After all this time… all my research!" he proclaimed, his gaze fixed upon the strange object before him. "Victory is mi-" the black canine was cut off by a familiar sounding voice that suddenly reverberated from the mouth of the cave, the noise bouncing randomly off its rounded walls.

"Private! Stop!"

Private immediately withdrew the strength from his muscles at the sound of his name, glancing briefly behind his back towards an angry looking Doberman. "Did you hear that?" asked the chubby Brit, his flipper's slipping slowly of the wooden crosspiece that held the sarcophagus shut, causing the shafts of light beaming out of the ancient coffin's sides' to cease their radiance. "What are you doing?" exclaimed Alpha furiously, lowering his head and pushing closer towards the cadet's face. The raging flames of his anger burning brightly within his amber coloured eyes. "Hurry up and open it!" he ordered, brutally shoving his paw into little penguin's chest.

The Doberman was suddenly kicked to the side, away from the youngster- by none other than his commanding officer. The sleek haired dog was then knocked unconscious, his head hitting forcefully against the stone enclosure.

"Skipper!" Private gratefully exclaimed, his battered and tired face brightening at the sight of the flathead, his beak widening into a wide smile.

Skipper grinned back as he reached out to pat his student quickly on the back, "No problem young Private." he replied. The captain paused for a moment, clutching his head yet again as the drowsiness and pain entered his nervous system and pumped quickly through his brain. The trainee gasped, "Sir! Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

Skipper didn't respond, but instead doubled over slightly as he placed his other flipper on the other side of his head, clutching it tighter. Private frowned, watching his leader helplessly grapple with the strange, agonizing, and drowsy discomfort.

Angelique and Kowalski quickly slid up followed swiftly by the badger twins. "Skipper what's wrong? Is there so-" asked the female penguin, her eyebrows arched with concern. The captain raised a flipper, interrupting the violet eyed penguin, "I'm fine, miss Angelique." he snapped, jerking his head up to face said avian with his signature scowl. The female scientist sighed, "but sir you're suffering…" she replied, annoying the commander immensely.

Kowalski could sense a senseless fight coming on between the two, and decided to interject. "Sir. I hate to barge in but Alpha's coming to," he warned, pointing towards the canine, who was beginning to stir and slowly wake up. Skipper narrowed his eyes at the dog, then without taking his eyes off him, silently leaned over to Stacy and tapped her gently on the shoulder; thus gaining her attention.

"Red head," he whispered quickly, "Get the others. We may need backup."

The badger nodded, and quickly scampered off on all fours to recruit the others, and she left just in time too.

Alpha was starting to get up.

The Doberman shook his head vigorously, his breaths coming out in strained gasps as his blurry vision focused on the animals surrounding him, all of them posed in a rigid fighting stance. "Might as well spill pup. It's the end of the line." declared Skipper, smug superiority dripping from his voice, accompanied by his complacent grin.

All of a sudden, much to their surprise and shock, Alpha started to laugh. It began with a low chuckle, then gradually increased to a sadistic, demented laugh. A disturbing smile was stretched across his snout, his eyes sparkling with instability through the feeble light. "Oh you ignoramus saps…" he spat out between the last of his twisted laugh, "Did you _really think_ I would do this without having a back up plan first?"

Kowalski knitted his non-existent brow in confusion, "What plan? You never knew of this cave until as recently as yesterday afternoon! I-it's scientifically impossible to come up with anything during that period of time- we were with you the whole way." he objected, still maintaining his stance as he glared at the mutt that had proven himself mad. Alpha held his ground, not even flinching the slightest while the egghead spoke.

"You're both right and wrong Kowalski." Alpha began, shifting slightly into a sitting position. "I couldn't have possibly concocted my scheme overnight." the rest of the group mimicked Kowalski's puzzled expression. "So I did it before I slept. It was ridiculously simple. I knew about the volcano from the start, since I always get up at dawn to restock." explained the Doberman dryly, pausing for a moment to a swipe his tongue over his nose. "To bottom-line this- you zoo animals are so _predictable._ So really I just had put two and two together; which isn't that hard."

Skipper growled, "Cut to the chase!" he ordered, narrowing his eyes at Alpha who sat casually against the wall of the cave. The dog continued, "My first step was to take out the big guns. Which meant slipping sleeping herbs mixed with a Jin-seng muscle relaxant into _your_ breakfast. Not to mention a touch of poison." Alpha pointed towards the captain, grinning from ear to ear.

Skipper's eyes widened, "You did what!" he exclaimed, advancing the deranged canine and clutching him by the chest, suspending him slightly as he did so.

Alpha didn't flinch, and held his gaze steadily, "You heard me," he hissed, "I already knew of your regarding distrust and took you out first."

The captain let go of the dog, his eyes widening with shock.

"Speaking of which, I believe my concoction should take full effect in around ten to seventeen minutes. That gives you plenty of time to stop the army _and _leave the island before the volcano explodes."

Alpha's jeers were definitely provoking and nonsensical-sounding, but unmistakably true. Becky knitted her brow, "Army?" she inquired, turning towards Kowalski, who ignored the badger and brushed the comment aside. "Don't be so smug, there isn't even _an _army here." he scoffed, pausing for a moment as he swiveled his head to his left to face Skipper. "And his handiwork _does_ explain your condition".

The captain blinked, masking the fear gleaming in his topaz blue eyes before glowering menacingly at the canine sitting coolly in front of him. The mutt gave off yet another hearty, crazed chuckle. "Didn't see that one coming. Did you?" he asked, cocking a brow as he flashed a toothy smile at the flat head.

"You're under _our _roof now, bowwow. So I strongly advice you to shut it." Skipper commanded, thrusting a clenched flipper threateningly in front of Alpha's face. "My iron constitution doesn't allow for things like these to affect my health condition." he argued.

"That aside," Angelique began, "What are you up to? And why did you kidnap Private?" she interrogated, changing her fighting stance as she glared at Alpha ominously.

The dog gave the she-penguin a glower of his own before responding. "Smart girl. Wanting to get to the point. " he idly remarked, twitching his ears in the girl's direction as he threw the lieutenant to his right a mischievous smirk.

"Anyway, you're chubby little friend here was the only one that could open the sarcophagus and free my people." elucidated Alpha. He paused for a moment, eyeing the stares of confusion combined with anger that followed. "What in the world _are _you talking about?" derided Kowalski, jerking his flippers to his sides in a gesture of disbelief, "You're but a mere Doberman! There's lots of your kind spread out across the world. _Surely_ you know this."

Alpha shook his head as he pushed up from his haunches and into a standing position, "Ah… now that is where you're wrong. I am _not_ an ordinary Doberman; but a Doberman warrior. A descendant of a proud race that once ruled this island; until we were banished to our prison by our gods." he lifted a paw and motioned towards the black coffin close by them, "I'm the only descendant of my ancient race, and I have had intentions of setting them free for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately that couldn't have happened any sooner unless Private was the one who did it."

Private narrowed his baby blues at Alpha, "_Me?_ Why couldn't you have done it yourself?" he asked, his voice high pitched and furious. The canine rolled his eyes, "Don't you think I would have done that years ago if I could?" he snapped. The cadet cocked his head in surprise, "Well… if you couldn't do it yourself; why did it have to be me?"

Alpha cleared his throat before replying, "According to prophecy, only the purest, and cleanest of souls are able to open the prison. During your stay here with me, I've been able to monitor you closely, and observe your actions." he turned his head slowly as he glared at each of the animals that surrounded him, their faces contorted into their own hostile scowls of vigilance.

The Doberman faced Private once more, "Soon, I could see that _you _were the one. The key that could finally complete my task, but all of _you _had to interfere!" he angrily spat, the recognizable flame of pure loathe and hatred burning ferociously in his amber coloured eyes; the same fire that ignited when he and the elite strike force animals first stumbled upon each other.

Alpha let out a strained, slightly frustrated chuckle, madness creeping along the edges of his deep baritone voice. "This was the only reason why I came to this island!"

Angelique widened her eyes in horror, "So you _didn't _crash land by accident?" she asked icily, pointing an accusing flipper at the unstable dog. He nodded in response, "Got that right. I _made _my owner crash land the cargo plane." he chuckled.

The female standing before him gaped in disgust, lowering her flippers and shifting out of her fighting stance as she clenched her flippers angrily. "You _insane monster…_" she hissed, her voice shaking with silent rage. "You murdered your own owner…" Angelique could already fill the tears of bitter outrage well up in the corner of her eyes, "the one that raised you, cared for you- loved you… and without a single hint of regret. How do you live with yourself? Knowing that _you _were the one responsible for a loved one's death…"

The scientist paused, giving a quiet sniff as she wiped away the tears running down her cheeks, "I _still _grieve for my father, who was murdered out of unjust causes when I was only a child…. and you_- _You sit back like the_ sick person you are _and not undergo even the_ slightest tinge of remorse… _How twisted are you?" she whispered the last part silently, glowering even darkly at the deranged dog.

"Twisted enough to see you're too late." he quipped, "It looks like Private _actually did _open the tomb enough."

The animals whipped around towards the now violently trembling sarcophagus, collectively gasping as they helplessly watched the coffin doors fling open, the sturdy latch holding them shut snapping swiftly in half like a toothpick.

A mystic smoke of some sort flowed out of the ancient relic, followed quickly by numerous shadowy figures silhouetted faintly against its cryptic physique. Alpha smiled as he pushed past the barrier of still gawking animal commandos, positioning himself before the great army of undead Dobermans lead by the largest one coated in golden plating, that exited through the once locked entrance of the historic sarcophagus.

"Welcome Lord Adofo. Your presence in this world has been dearly missed." he quickly spluttered, dropping down to a respectful kneel, his forehead rested gently against the cave's moist ground.

The apparent Doberman king that had stepped forward and towered tremendously over Alpha nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Thank you brother." he replied, his blood red eyes shining with nobility and gratitude.

The canine soldiers of the undead marched towards their leaders side, armor blinking faintly in the dim light, their golden and bronze colours bouncing lightly off the cave's rounded walls.

"Team! Containment mode! Go!" quickly ordered Skipper. The others rapidly responded to their superior's demands, and leapt in front of the army.

Lord Adofo scowled threateningly at Alpha, dipping his head downwards so that he could face him. "Who are these meddling creatures?" asked the undead ruler, a growl rumbling at the pit of his chest.

Alpha's ears drooped with fear, "They are but insignificant mortals, attempting to bar the way in a so called selfless strive to protect the feeble and defenseless." he responded, trying his best to sound confident.

The sovereign jerked his gaze towards the few animals that blocked the path, "Insignificant indeed." he replied, tensing his muscles as he shifted into a stance. His followers quickly followed, including Alpha, their fur bristling with malice.

"Attack!"

The warrior dogs responded with a battle cry, charging towards the commandos, their armor clinking noisily as they rushed forward. Skipper didn't need to say anything- the zoosters had already bounded independently into battle.

The two sides met with a loud battle cry, the Doberman warriors filling the gaps found in the elite strike force's defense line.

Skipper brought his flipper down on a Doberman's head, then flung his foot into its gut, sending it flying backwards and crashing into a largely occupied area of the cave. The captain smiled in satisfaction, but was unaware of the two other undead canine warriors closing in on his left and right flank. The two mutts crouched low as they crept silently up on the lead penguin, their snouts wrinkled into a hostile scowl.

Once the flat head's surroundings were clear, the stalking dogs instantaneously hurled themselves at the penguin. Unfortunately for them, the commander had sensed their presence seconds ago. So just before either of them could make contact with Skipper, he jumped into the air and landed a safe distance away from the crashing canines. The avian chuckled silently before rushing back into the frenzy of the struggle, leaving his fallen attackers to lay motionless on the battlefield.

Private however, was not doing as well as his teacher was in the fight.

At the moment, the youngster was surrounded by around six of the Doberman warriors. He yelped as one of them attempted to snap his leg, but luckily he jerked back before its jaws could clamp shut on his webbed foot. The halo that separated the cadet from the canines was almost gone; he whimpered helplessly, using his flippers to protect himself from the incoming attack.

Suddenly, Becky appeared out of nowhere, leaping into the centre of the rapidly closing circle and posed into a defensive stance- she had come to the rescue.

Unsheathing her claws, the blonde furred badger lashed out at the closest dog, creating a long gash across its face as she did so. Another one sprung out her, but she swiftly gave a hard scissors kick to its abdomen and sent it hurdling towards a bunched up group of Dobermans nearby, knocking them over like bowling pins.

Strike.

A third one swiped a paw out at the blondie, but she skillfully caught the incoming appendage, using it to hurl its owner away from the penguin behind her. The other three that were left cowered away in fear; then hightailed away from the angry mustelidae in retreat.

Private breathed a sigh of gratitude, throwing Becky a small smile as a quick 'thank you'. She nodded in response, before departing from the small empty area with the penguin, and towards several enemies that had been recruited by the ones that fled earlier.

Meanwhile, Angelique and Kowalski were doing just fine. The two of them worked harmoniously together like a well-oiled machine. Several of the dog warriors were charging towards them; but Angelique and her partner were ready.

"Fix and Flip maneuver, go!" shouted Kowalski over the various sounds of battle. His female companion nodded, and the two quickly joined flippers.

Holding on all the while, Kowalski threw the female avian over his head and she landed forcefully atop a nearby mongrel opponent, knocking it out cold. Once the she-scientist regained her footing, she repeated Kowalski's first motion- throwing him up over her head, and allowing him to come down on top of a nearby attacker with a mighty blow.

Skillfully they repeated this process, quickly taking down a considerable amount of enemies only within a few seconds.

* * *

To be honest, Alpha really was getting rather nervous.

Despite their lack in numbers, the commandos seemed to be holding up just fine. For every moment the Dobermans had managed to land a blow on _one_ of them, the animal stowaways defeated three more. The battle against the off-drift zoosters seemed to be one of loss, and the time leading to the volcano's eruption was not slowing down for them anytime soon.

All hope seemed lost for his tribe, until he noticed the army steadily begin to enclose around the elite team of fighters, the canines of the undead impelling them towards a nearby wall. Their backs were now firmly pressed up against the cold, hard stonewall of the den.

Alpha grinned as he watched his fellows pad closer towards the commandos, growling ferociously all the while.

Angelique shut her eyes tightly and pressed the side of her face against the rock behind her, the tips of her flippers itching with fear. Kowalski stood rigid beside her, his face forced into an angry and confident glare; which was the complete opposite of what his current feelings were. The others were just as worried as Angelique, but decided not to show it and instead attempted to remain strong.

When the Dobermans were but a hair's breadth away from finishing off the zoosters, a loud yowl sounded through the cave; the source being Sienna, and the rest of the team. Alexander, who was running on all fours, bounded ahead and began to shout his commands. "Rico, Sienna, Marlene- you guy's are with me on the left wing! Becky, Julien and Iris, right!" he yelled, "Let's move!"

Iris took off, leading her assigned group en route to the militia's right side, "Roger that!" she hastily replied, before swooping down in towards a Doberman soldier and raking her talons powerfully against its side. Her party of fighters followed suit, loud battle cries escaping from their mouths. Despite his incredibly stubborn, conceited, narcissistic nature, Julien had finally managed to come to realize the severe circumstances of their situation and had decided to help- loving it and hating at the same time.

The self-proclaimed lemur king leapt into the air, bouncing vigorously across the sea of doggy heads, and knocking them out cold. Sienna, Alexander and Stacy were just doing their usual thing; slicing and dicing any enemy that got in their way. Marlene's fighting style was more of the 'confuse and manipulate' sort, expertly directing the Doberman's into attacking each other accidentally. Lastly, Rico was just doing what he was best at, going nuts.

On the sidelines, thanks to the others, Skipper and his group had been able to cope on their own, eventually getting back into the game.

"Skipper!" Private cried over the shouts and exclamations of the battle, his flippers cupped over his beak. "The tomb!" He pointed at the sarcophagus that was about a meter away from him, signaling towards the broken, wooden latch bar, "We need to get them back in!"

The captain gestured back his 'okay', then turned towards the others who were still fighting hard. "Team! Frontal assault!" he shouted, pausing for a second as he elbowed and punched an incoming canine soldier to the side, a wide grin curling at the sides of his beak. "We're delivering le Coup de Grâce!"

Marlene turned to Sienna nearby, "You heard the man." she said, a smirk plastered on her face. Sienna grinned back, "On it." she replied, then quickly scampered through the crowd towards the others, "File up!" she yelled, her tail swishing her tail excitedly behind her.

The rest of the team understood, each of them yelling their 'all-rights' and quickly forming a line in front of the army. Soon enough, the zoosters had carried out their task, forcing the Doberman warriors back in the direction of their prison.

"Hurry!" Skipper ordered, "It's about time before the volcano's going to-" the captain was interrupted as the pain returned. He groaned in agony, grasping the sides of his head and finally collapsing onto the ground.

Alpha laughed, "Ha! My poison's taken effect!" he jeered poking his head over the crowd and shooting the animal commandos a twisted grin. Marlene knitted her brow, "_Poison?_" she exclaimed disbelievingly, the worry rapidly increasing in her hazel eyes as she turned to Stacy for an explanation.

"I'm just as clueless as you are…" she replied, shrugging in reply. Angelique gulped, before quickly giving the chestnut furred mammal her desired answer. "Alpha poisoned him!" she cried out to her leader. Marlene gasped and ran frantically towards the unconscious leader.

"Skipper!"

Gently, the otter lifted his head onto her lap and placed a paw on his heart. It was still pumping, but slowly growing weaker by the second. Alexander suddenly ran up to her side, kneeling down and quickly checking his leader's vitals. "He's still alive, but we need to do something quick in order to counteract the poison that has already entered his bloodstream." he hastily explained, "Stay here with him while I try to find something that can help." With that, the water monitor dropped down on all limbs and bounded out the cave.

Marlene sighed, completely tuning out of the fight that transpired behind her.

"Come on Skipper…" she silently urged, "Don't give up on us…"

She paused as a tear rolled down her cheek and choked back yet another sob.

"Don't give up on me…"

* * *

**I must admit, this chapter wasn't one of my best, and it _was _rather rushed; since I want to get this done ASAP to make room for the debut of my upcoming series. Hopefully this chapter wasn't _too_ horrible for you guys. Also my next update, will be the final chapter for this story. Until then; REVIEW!**


	22. Risks, Courage, Salvation

**We-ll... looks like I was wrong- this ISN'T the last chapter of the story; it's the SECOND-LAST chapter. Anyway...**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 22

"Hurry! It's closing!" yelled Private, the strain ringing clearly from his voice. He grunted, straining his flipper muscles as he tried his best to keep the slowly closing tomb open for the Doberman army's entrapment. Whatever was going on with the sarcophagus; it was really putting up a fight.

The ancient carvings on the coffin's doors glowed once more; only this time, a bright, neon blue. The beams of topaz radiance streamed outward in various directions, stretching all the way to the cave entrance; where some of the rays bounced gracefully off the waterfall's shower.

Sienna squinted past the bright, aqua coloured light, "We need to force them back faster!" she shouted. The cat spun to her right and clawed an attacking warrior with a sharp hiss, her lips curled back into a fierce snarl and her fangs exposed. She threw the penguin beside her a quick glance; fighting all the while. "Rico- Please!" begged the feline, constantly jerking her head back and forth to the canine militia and the scarred penguin fighting alongside her. "Dig deep! We need just _one _weapon or explosive from you. Anything that will help us!"

Rico frowned, the pressure that was suddenly placed upon him was already starting to become unbearable; and it had only been several seconds ago. He quickly swept his gaze over to the sarcophagus up ahead, sparing a short moment to stare at his young teammate, who really seemed to be having a hard time keeping the cursed object open.

The demolitions expert groaned, "Okay. Try." he grunted, before clenching his gut in concentration. The blood that pumped rapidly through him made him feel rather nauseous- but by using his normally limited will power, he ignored his body's agonizing objections towards his current action. Rico could feel his breath running out and his lungs cramp from the lack of oxygen. Unwillingly, he sucked in a breath, releasing the strain on his muscles in the process.

Private screamed again,

"Aaaah! Guys! Hurry! _Hurry!_"

Rico growled determinedly, squeezing his flippers into fists and wrenching his stomach muscles in a second attempt to force something… _anything_ useful from his usually bottomless gut.

Suddenly he felt it. The thing he needed.

Quick as a flash, the psychotic penguin slid away from the army of the undead, stopping about seven meters away from the mouth of the den. He opened his beak and clenched his stomach muscles for a final time.

Then, at long last, with a single loud squawk and thrust from his gag reflex- a stick of TNT flew out.

The explosive sailed through the stone grotto, its fuse glinting brilliantly in the dim light, and ultimately; it exploded on the roof of the large cavern. Which coincidentally also happened to be the exact area just above the gap, that was separating the commandos from the Doberman army.

The rock crumbled apart upon impact, the cracks caused from the explosion visibly traveling along the rocky ceiling. The loose pieces of stone from the upper rock wall fell and collided with the floor, the crashing sound vibrating through the cave. Spews of dust poured down upon the animals as the boulders of debris continued to drop.

Hastily, the elite strike force backed away from the plummeting rocks, their appendages raised over their faces for protection. Meanwhile, Alpha gasped in horror as he watched his allies back away fearfully and flee for safety into the slowly closing sarcophagus; their fur bristled beyond imaginable, and their barks of terror the same. He whipped his head around to face Private, who was now barring the tomb closed, and contorted his face into a deathly scowl. He charged towards the youngster and drew back his lips into a spine-chilling roar of rage.

Private, unfortunately for the angry mutt, had detected his attack and yelped, leaping out of the way just in time. He dove onto his stomach and slid towards his friends who were urging him desperately up ahead.

The ceiling was already falling in faster than before- the pieces of rock rapidly increasing in size after each one. Growing bigger, heavier and more hazardous than ever- and from the looks of things, the volcano was going to blow any minute. The young penguin sped through the shower of falling debris, yelling in in fear the whole time. His eyes widened with petrified terror; his heart beating so fast- he thought that it would burst.

"Hang on Private, I'm coming!" cried Angelique, leaping forward towards the fusillade of rocks, only to be pulled roughly back by Kowalski. "_What are you doing_?" he hissed, his grip on the female not loosening anytime soon. She scowled at him before jerking her flipper violently away from him, "You would sit here and do _nothing_?" she asked. The she-penguin looked like she was going to beat the egghead to a pulp, so infuriated by his ignorance.

Kowalski gave her a glare of his own, "I just don't want to see you get hurt!" he snapped back, lowering his head down slightly so that he was level with the female-scientist, his flippers clenched into fists and his tongue pushed firmly against the roof of his bill.

Angelique's eyes widened at his retort, a shimmer of tenderness and guilt sparkling brightly for a brief moment, then fading back into an angry ball of fire; but less fierce than before.

"I'm sorry, Kowalski," she paused, lowering her head down so that she avoided the strategist's gaze, "but I can't." and with that, she leapt away; dropping onto her stomach and throwing herself into the falling shower of rocks, expertly dodging every stone that plunged towards her. Kowalski thrust out a feathered appendage to catch her, but was already a second too late. "No…" he mumbled softly to himself, hanging his head in regret, while being subconsciously pulled away from the dangerous area by Stacy.

* * *

"Angelique! Help!" yelled Private, dodging furiously past Alpha's constant lunges. The trainee let out another scream as the Doberman jumped over him, and landed in the way- obstructing his path to safety. "You're going to pay for that Private!" growled the short-haired dog crouched before the little penguin, "So let's start with you're life now… shall we?"

Private trembled at the cold words that were raucously spat out of the canine's mouth. He clenched his beak and threw his flippers over his head as he attempted to force back a terrified bawl, preparing for the dog's incoming attack. But just before Alpha could make a move, he had been tripped him over from behind by none other than Angelique.

While the Doberman was stunned, the female quickly took hold of Private's trembling flipper and hastily led him back through the fusillade of rocks. She spared a short moment to look behind them, only to gasp in horror at the sight of Alpha swiftly leaping to his feet and bounding after them.

"Go! I'll hold him off!" Angelique shouted shoving Private roughly towards the others then briskly turning around and posing in her fighting stance. Private opened his beak to protest but stopped himself, and instead nodded solemnly in reply before turning around and sliding back towards the others.

Angelique whipped around to face her opponent, fists clenched and eyes burning. She broke out of focus for a moment, yelping in shock as a huge chunk of rock smashed to the ground beside her. Alpha used this to his advantage and knocked the she-penguin flat on her back. He bared his fangs, the drool sluggishly dripping out of his mouth.

"If I'm going down," he growled threateningly, pausing to unsheathe his claws and let out a vicious hiss, venomous traces of maliciousness coated icily around the edges of his voice. "-you're going down with me."

The female attempted to struggle away from the Doberman, wriggling her flippers restlessly underneath his iron grip. Her eyes widened with panic as he drew back a paw, his wrist twisted into a particular position- preparing to deliver the final and fatal blow.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Angelique's head. Cautiously, she wrapped her legs around one of the Doberman's that was pinned firmly against her, grinning mischievously. "Says. You. Bark Face!" she grunted, quickly twisting her lower limbs and with a loud cry, threw the black canine off her; an action made possible by a rapid jerk of her muscles.

Alpha gave off an exclamation of surprise as he crashed to the ground, his side rubbing against the hard rock beneath, and failing to notice the small black and white female bird make a hasty break for the other side of the cave.

* * *

"Twenty-eight, twenty nine, thirty." murmured Marlene softly to herself as she pumped Skipper's chest nervously, her teeth grinding against each other.

Beads of sweat dripped down the sides of her face, dropping softly onto the moist ground beneath her. After the final push, the otter sank back onto her legs and sighed, biting back a snivel as she slipped her paws slowly off the commander, the tears whelming up and reflecting the light of the den off her warm hazel eyes.

It had already been three whole minutes, and being acquaintances with Alexander, Marlene knew that he should have been back at least one minute ago; with some sort of crazy medical appliance she never heard of before, that would help Skipper.

Unfortunately, said lizard wasn't back yet, and it was about a matter of time before the volcano would blow.

Marlene swiveled her head in the direction of the battle, helplessly watching Angelique and the others frantically attempt to trap the Doberman army into the tomb. She would help if she could, but for now, Skipper was her only priority.

The aquatic mammal's thoughts were shoved away when a loud, breathless cry rung out through the cave.

"I… I… got the… cure!" yelled Alexander, who seemed incredibly worn out, running tiredly towards Marlene, gasping for breath all the while. He forced a small bundled up leaf filled with a finely ground powder of some type into her chocolate furred paw. She cocked a brow, "What is this?" she asked, gesturing towards the small neatly wrapped frond by lifting it up slightly.

Alexander groaned in frustration, his shallow ragged breaths subsiding in pace. "It's a herb made of a mix of Common Reed, Bunchberry and Dogwood I found in Alpha's cave. I had to grind them before coming over here." The reptile let out one last deep breath, "Now could you just give it to him? Unless you're waiting for the poison to take full effect on his body!" he blurted sarcastically, throwing his well-built arms into the air as a sign of his strong vexation towards the hazel eyed mammal.

Marlene scowled at the water monitor before unwrapping the small leaf, forcing open Skipper's beak and slowly pouring the dark brown coloured contents down his throat. Just as the last bit of herb flown down the captain's bill, a loud ear splitting boom vibrated through the cave, sending soft clouds of dust to sprinkle over Marlene and the combat medic.

They simultaneously turned their heads towards the source, and caught sight of Angelique being pinned down by Alpha. Alexander set a foot forward to rush out and help but instead, shook his head. "We can't help her now," he stated as he swiftly grabbed his leader and slung him over his shoulder, "We've got to get out of here! Call the others!" he rushed towards the mouth of the cave, leaving a gaping Marlene behind. Sensing this, he halted to a stop and threw a quick, intimidating glance over his shoulder in her direction. "Now!"

Marlene bit her lower lip with worry, watching the lizard with pure disbelief written across her face as he rushed out of sight. Reluctantly, she then spun on her heels and ran towards the others.

"Guys! We have to go!" she ordered, clutching Sienna (who happened to be the closest one to her) by the shoulder and spinning said wild cat around to face her.

The Rhodesian Slasher's eyes widened at Marlene's command, "Are you mad?" she exclaimed, "Angelique is still fighting for her life with Alpha! If we leave her, she'll be crushed by the rubble!" Sienna's fists clenched abruptly, making a cracking noise emanate from them in the process.

The otter before her sighed, "I'm sorry Sienna; but we have to! We've _got _to get out of here! The volcano's going to explode and we don't have much time left," she stated sadly, her voice wavering slightly with grief. "But Angelique will catch up with us. I'm sure of it." added the otter, gently grasping the feline's paw and patting it reassuringly, her voice suddenly filled with confidence.

Although her last words were spoken with great trust and faith towards her best avian friend, inside, an overwhelming feeling of doubt was slowly beginning to eat away at her heart.

Sienna's brows knitted ambivalently, but eventually she nodded hesitantly in response, instantaneously obeying her leader's order and quickly rounding up the others, who happened to agree. Except-

Kowalski.

Together, excluding the egghead, the team rushed out of the collapsing stone grotto and into the open air.

The sky had gone a thick, blood red, the deadly hue accompanied by the small shreds of ash that were floating through the air. The smell of rancid smoke struck the commandos' nostrils, the strong acrid scent causing their noses to sting and their eyes to water. To the animals, it was like staring at a second version of hell.

Meanwhile inside the den, Angelique slid rapidly towards the other side- Alpha in hot pursuit. All of sudden, the Doberman behind leapt up and slammed a paw down on her tail. The female winced slightly in pain, finding herself once again trapped underneath the paws Alpha, who was slowly dragging her towards him.

As Angelique attempted to struggle frantically away, she couldn't help but gasp at the vision that struck her eyes. The final bits of rock were beginning to fall, larger than before; and the shower of boulders was closing rapidly in on both the animals. She sighed in defeat- this was the end.

"Angelique!"

The she-avian looked up in surprise, and saw none other than Kowalski; speeding hastily towards her, his topaz eyes brimming with distraught, grief-stricken tears.

"Kowalski!" she responded, cutting herself short for a brief moment, quickly clutching a rock in front of her that was protruding above the surface, "Go! The others need you more than me!" the female then spun around and attempted to kick her opponent in the snout, only to scream in pain as he snapped his jaws onto hear foot.

Kowalski gasped in shock at the sight, allowing the determination and anger bubble up in the pit of his stomach, "I'm not leaving without you!" he proclaimed loudly.

Quickly, the lieutenant slid up to the female and grabbed hold of her flipper. He grunted as he pulled her appendage, using all his strength and forgetting about anything else except Angelique.

Alpha growled in response, instantaneously releasing his bite on the she- penguin's foot and wrapping his paws around her waist; pulling equally as hard as the strategist in front of him was. In between the two, Angelique choked back a cry of agony; not out of the stretching pain that she felt in her muscles-

But of-

Guilt.

Guilt that she knew was caused by her own doing; the action that had led both Kowalski and herself into mortal danger…

Yet….

She also felt relieved, that at least the others were safe.

Kowalski breathed sharply inward, suddenly realizing that Angelique's flipper was slowly slipping out of his, her grip loosening and her might weakening. He panicked, thrusting out a second flipper forward for reinforcement.

The falling rocks were only a few meters away from the three. And they were closing in fast.

Time was running out.

Alpha laughed as he caught a glimpse of the hold between the two avians rapidly begin to grow less and less firm by the millisecond. "You see?" he said, his voice strained but confident, "I've wo-"

Unfortunately, the maniac dog didn't have a chance to finish his sentence. A huge boulder had fallen on top of him, and had crushed him to death.

Kowalski and Angelique would have stayed frozen, their beaks agape with shock and horror, to stare at the motionless, limp body before them. But the fusillade had already caught up to them, so instead.

They ran for it.

* * *

"I see them! I see them!"

Skipper darted his eyes towards the center of the beach, where the threshold between the jungle and the shoreline lay. At first, nothing came out, then suddenly out burst Angelique and Kowalski running like made through the ashy, burgundy air that circled around the island. The leader's eyes widened as he felt the vibrations of the to-be erupting volcano shake the very ground beneath them.

The water that outlined the edges of the medium sized raft rippled violently, causing the makeshift vessel to jiggle in place.

Skipper gasped, "Move it people!" he quickly ordered as Angelique and Kowalski hastily leaped onto the flat buoyant structure of timber. Immediately, four blurry figured rushed into two pairs, each of them grabbing hold of an oar found tied to either side of the floating platform and briskly dipping them into the water; paddling like mad.

"Paddle! Paddle!" urged Alexander over the booms of the volcano as they departed from the shores of the islet, the oar in his grasp darkening with each splash of water that sloshed on to its slim structure. Other yells and shouts of encouragement began to be hollered into the noisy air, their voices muffled by the sound of large pieces of partially molten rock colliding with the briny water around them.

Finally.

The volcano exploded.

* * *

**Stay tuned for the last and final chapter of the story which should be up in 2-4 days... hopefully. And again, I apologize for the slightly rushed chapter. I still hope you enjoyed it anyway. Until next time; REVIEW!**


	23. Endings

**Here's the last and final chapter that's been EDITED! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 23

"Just close your eyes… The sun is going down. You'll be alright… No one can hurt you now. Come morning light… You and I'll be safe and so-und." softly sang Angelique to herself, her eyes closed and mind numbed. The soft swishes of water that danced around the travelling raft bounced gently off the female avian's eardrums, sending tingles of relaxation to shiver throughout her toned body. Her voice was raspy, breathy, and lacking its usual power; an icy lining of sadness creeping along the edges in bitter company.

Kowalski sat quietly beside her, his feet dangling over the edge of their buoyant structure of timber. Briny water splashed silently against his feet, its low temperature causing him to jerk back slightly in surprise.

He let out a soft breath as the strange sensation quickly ebbed away, and relaxed once more, placing his flippers behind him to lean against for support. The tall penguin looked over his shoulder, to see the others just the same, solemn and silent as they patiently sat in silence along the edges and centre of the raft.

The lieutenant couldn't help but notice his now awake leader, suddenly give a somewhat sympathetic, yet guilty look towards a certain otter that sat half a meter away from him. She didn't seem to notice, much to the captain's relief.

The scientist turned his head, once again casting his pacific blue gaze across the endless blanket of water that spread out before him and his team. The egghead looked down at his flippers, twiddling them nervously at the frightening thought of the Bronx team never managing to find them in time.

Quickly, he shoved those disturbing thoughts out of his mind and cautiously darted his eyes towards the violet-eyed tuxedo bird sitting quietly beside him.

"So-…" he began awkwardly with a loud sigh, throwing his flippers forward as he slouched tiredly and lazily forward. "We're alive."

Angelique broke out of her trance, a small smile stretching across her beak as she chuckled weakly. "Yes. We are." replied the female; the giggles emitting from her beak subsiding rapidly and the pleasant smile suddenly disappearing. "Kowalski," began the she-penguin, shifting slightly in her seat so that she could turn around and fully face the scientist sitting beside her. "About before…"

Kowalski cocked his head, "Go on… what is it?" he urged, placing a comforting flipper onto her shoulder and squeezing it tightly for encouragement. Angelique sighed; forcing back the stinging tears welling up in her eyes as she mustered up the needed strength to talk. "I'm sorry…" she finally choked out, placing a flipper over her eyes and allowing the salty drops of sorrow to spill out onto it.

"If-if I hadn't been so… so _darn stubborn!_" she sobbed, "None of that would have ever happened!" Angelique wept uncontrollably, but still tried her best to restrain herself.

Kowalski felt helpless, watching the poor girl cry; so much pain, regret, shame riddled in her sobs. The scientist was hesitating; finding the right words for this situation wasn't easy. Being the solid patriot he was to science, the tall avian wasn't exactly what you would call the "God of Emotions".

Private, being the sensitive soul that he was, would once in a while give him thoughtful phrases of advice of sentimentality.

"Just be yourself" or, "You don't need to understand it; just feel it."

And at most times- "Dig deep and listen to your heart."

Ugh…

If only he had paid more attention.

The egghead sighed, guess he was just going to have to roll with it. Even if the chances, he knew of course, were slim.

"Angelique," he began, lifting a flipper and placing it on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly for reassurance. The female still didn't feel much different from that small gesture of concern, but simply decided to at the very least try and stop crying. She sniffled, forcing back a hiccup as she turned to her teammate beside her.

"It wasn't your fault…." he said gently, blinking slowly all the while, "if anything. It was mine."

At these words, Angelique's eyes widened in surprise, all the guilt suddenly drifting from her mind. She felt as if a huge weight had suddenly lifted off her shoulders. "W-what?"

Kowalski sighed; he had gained her attention.

"It was my fault for not believing in you," he continued, pausing for moment to allow his flipper to slip softly off the she-penguin's shoulder, and shift back into his original sitting position; once again facing the ocean. "If only I had put a little more faith in you. A little more trust; you wouldn't have been in such a conundrum." the lieutenant turned swiftly back to face the completely, and utterly shocked Angelique, who's tear stung eyes were opened to their limit.

"Please. Forgive me."

The female scientist broke out of her trance, using both her flippers to gently massage the surprise off her tired face. "Kowalski, please." She finally spoke after a long, tense interval of silence, "It was _my_ fault. I was the one who pushed you away. Remember? I know you must hate me for that." she mumbled, her voice cracking.

Kowalski blinked rapidly, surprised at Angelique's somewhat absurd notion (to him at least). "I've never heard anything such as _nonsensical _as that in my entire life!" he exclaimed, causing the violet eyed girl's head to jerk up and look at him with a jolt.

"I would never stoop as low as that for someone like you!" the tall avian, stammered as stumbled upon his words, millions of phrases compiling rapidly in his brain like mold on a shower curtain. "That was the bravest, most heroic, noble, selfless thing that anyone had ever done; and you, out of all people were the only one that had the guts to do it!" he proclaimed proudly, swinging his flipper encouragingly before him as a look of pride glowed upon his handsome features.

Angelique smiled, staring at her flippers for a moment before raising her head and looking up once again at her fellow intellectual's gratified face. She let out one single breathy laugh, "Thank you Kowalski… but- why? Why did you still comeback for me?" she asked, the rays of warm sunlight bouncing off her shiny feathers and reflecting off her beautiful eyes.

Kowalski smiled warmly, "Why?" he whispered gently, taking Angelique's flipper in his and enclosing it around his tightly, the care entwined delicately into his baritone voice. _It was now or never._

"Because… you're always the sun that brightens my storm. The only thing I look forward to seeing everyday… the only one that truly completes me…" he softened his grin, relaxing his face into an expression that was filled with pure love.

"Angelique. I love you."

Suddenly, catching Kowalski completely off guard, Angelique threw herself at him, flinging her flippers around his neck and pushing her beak against his in a passionate kiss.

The egghead, obviously stunned at first, widened his eyes at the female's sudden action. But eventually, he returned it, with just as much fervor, wrapping his own flippers around her waist and pulling her in closer to his toned body.

At last, after what seemed like eternity, the two pulled away, both of them blushing furiously. They still held each other tightly, wide smiles plastered on their faces as they gazed at each other lovingly. Butterflies fluttered restlessly in both their chests, their hearts soaring effortlessly out of their ribcages.

Angelique placed a flipper onto the side of Kowalski's tender, affectionate face, softly caressing his temple as she smiled lovingly. "I love you too." she replied.

The two recently declared lovers beamed once again at each other, both of them just as happy as the other.

Carefully, the she-avian laid her head onto the strategist's chest as her flipper slipped into his. He held her close, his own head rested against hers, cradling his lover in his warm embrace.

"You learnt that from Private's soap opera. Didn't you?" asked Angelique cheekily, her purple eyes meeting with his topaz one's.

He chuckled lightly in response, his hold on her tightening. "You read me like a book." He cooed, earning yet another light laugh from the girl beside him.

* * *

Alexander couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction at the two tuxedo birds that sat across from him on the steadily floating raft. He sighed contentedly, "One pair down. One more to go." he mumbled quietly to himself as he silently watched his leader smile at the two geniuses sitting several feet away from him, and shuffle wordlessly to his chocolate furred teammate.

"Hey there dollface." he greeted, some humor ringing in his voice. He plopped down beside Marlene, who, thankfully, responded.

"Hi Skipper." she answered back, a weak smile stretched across her face. "So? How're you feeling?"

The captain loudly sucked in a gulp of air, stretching his flippers above his head and sighing as he relaxed once more. "Great now that the poison's worn off." he replied, clicking his neck.

Marlene replied with a small giggle, "Good to hear." she said, her smile still glowing, and then weakening slightly. "Y'know… this vacation really didn't turn out the way I had hoped." she stated in a matter-of-factly tone, a hint of disappointment in her kind voice. Skipper chuckled, "Yeah." he laughed, "With the storm,"

"-the whole stranded thing," (Marlene)

"-and not to mention the zombie dog battle." (Skipper)

The two laughed together.

"But it still turned out to be one heck of an adventure." commented Skipper. He stopped for a brief second, and then spoke again, causing Marlene to jump slightly.

"And… thanks for saving my life." he bluntly said, taking her paw into his flipper and giving it a friendly squeeze with a respectful nod of his head. (And like Kowalski) An explosion of butterflies erupted in both the pit of his gut and chest, and he soon found himself forcing back a rapidly forming blush that had already begun to heat his cheeks. "And as you know, I'm one of the last people you would ever except to thank you."

Marlene rolled her eyes playfully, "Yeah. I know." she idly commented.

Suddenly, a disturbing thought struck her mind.

"Wait… how do I know that you're not just saying it say it?" she asked suspiciously, pointing an accusing finger at the lead penguin beside her, who had quickly stopped laughing.

His eyes widened in shock, "What do you mean 'if I'm saying it to say it?' " he shot back, "Of course I mean it! Get your head on straight woman!"

The otter pursed her lips as she narrowed her eyes coldly at the penguin, "Oh really?" she once again questioned, getting up into his face. Literally.

"What can you do that would convince me otherwise then? Huh?"

Another interlude of eerie silence rose between the two.

None of them moved.

"I knew it…" mumbled Marlene despairingly, lowering her head sadly as her face darkened. "You really don't m-"

The hazel-eyed mammal was unable to finish her sentence, as Skipper had impulsively spun her around, and flung his flippers around her in a comforting hug.

The Asian otter, was completely unprepared, but returned the act of tenderness with just as much care. The two just stayed like that for while, trapped in each others arms and flippers, sinking into the moment and taking in each other's scents- a beautiful combination of Skipper's musky, sea-salty masculine scent, and Marlene's earthy, natural aroma.

Unfortunately, and disappointedly, to the both of them (mainly Marlene), the hug ended (A little too quickly if you asked her.)

Skipper, of course, was first to speak, "That enough proof for you?" he asked, a smirk plastered on his beak.

That earned a light giggle from the female beside him as he wrapped a muscular flipper around her waist and pulled her close, allowing her to rest her head gently against his broad chest, just like he had seen Kowalski do with Angelique.

"Yes. Yes it was." she replied, lifting her head off his feathery chest as he smiled down at her.

Suddenly, the two broke eye contact when a soft buzzing suddenly sliced through the air.

Skipper looked up towards the sky, "Did you hear that?" he asked, darting his pupils back and forth through the multi-coloured sky.

Marlene nodded, "Yeah. I heard it too."

After several seconds had passed, the whirring grew louder, and without warning, everyone gasped as they saw a small figure, speeding through the local air mass in the distance, and coming in fast.

A helicopter.

"It's the Bronx Team!" exclaimed Private happily as he hopped excitedly in place, "We need to get their attention!"

Becky, who was standing beside him, quickly took off her bracelet, "This'll get their attention." she said, twisting the piece of golden jewelry around in the faint glow of the coming dusk. A bright spark emitted when the two elements collided, creating a signal, hopefully noticeable enough, for the rescue team to at least lower their chopper to check it out.

A minute had passed, and the helicopter didn't seem to notice them, passing by their floating little raft in the direction of the island.

"No!" cried out Iris, reaching out a wing helplessly as she watched their only hope speed away. Despondency rapidly spread through the group of commandos, until they finally noticed the copter turn around and a recognizable blue, black and brown figure appear out of its side door.

"_No need to fear, Ovid is here!" _joked the roadrunner through the bullhorn he was carrying as he chuckled, _"You may now start with the unnecessary adulation!" _

Julien frowned, "I should be the one the worshipers worship!" he yelled, though no one paid any attention to him. Immediately, another voice boomed through the megaphone, and this time, a more serious and annoyed sounding one.

"_Oh give me that!" _snapped Clemens irritably before speaking authoritatively into the voice-amplifying device, _"Standby for pick up!" _he said, then disappeared back into the helicopter.

Said form of transportation was quickly lowered closer to the small buoyant structure, followed by a rope ladder that was quickly thrown down towards them.

Swiftly, each of the animals climbed up one by one, leaving Marlene and Skipper to be the last ones standing on the raft.

Marlene set a foot onto the sturdy but flimsy structure that was dangled before her, but only stopped for a moment when Skipper quickly placed a flipper on her shoulder, briskly but with a gentleness unlike anything that he had ever decided to show.

"Marlene," he began. Mentioned otter turned around, one paw and one foot placed upon the rope that still dangled before the two of them. "Yes, Skipper?"

He smiled for a brief moment, before shyly, but meaningfully kissing her on the cheek, it was just a small peck, but Marlene's face blushed like a lit Chinese new year lantern- a warm glowing, red emanating from underneath her fur.

"What was that for?" asked Marlene, still quite flustered from the unexpected gesture. Skipper kept his smile, "For everything, Marlene. Everything."

As the two gazed at each other from below, Angelique laughed as she reached for Kowalski's awaiting flipper, dangling next to hers. "So? They're officially together?" asked Angelique cheekily, her flipper still clinging onto Kowalski's, who smiled playfully back.

"As it would appear to be. Chances are quite likely." replied the genius, pausing as he wrapped his lover into another warm hug. "However… for us? It's a whole different story…"

~END~

* * *

******NEW A/N: By the way, for those of you who haven't noticed... the last bit was EDITED...** (for the sake of my guilt of writing an overly dejavu ending...)  


**This project has been a great experience for me, and I would like to thank all those who supported me through this long and difficult task. It has been a pleasure writing for you all and I hope you guys will also read my next story, 'A Dark Mind', the debut of my brand, new upcoming series, which should be up by sometime next week. Again thank you all for your love and support! Special thanks to hardrocker21, Yang and Yin-chan, XxPenguinSoldierxX, K TheEpicPenguin, SkipperPrivate, Crazy Flyer 3000, appleduck and especially andromeda123 who has given me so much inspiration and advice, and helped me write this story!**

**Until next time! REVIEW!**


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